Catholics outnumber Protestants in Northern Ireland – The Day

In the last census in 2011, Catholics were 45 percent and Protestants 48 percent. When the same survey was conducted last year, 45.7 percent were found to be Catholics or have a Catholic background. The percentage of residents with a Protestant or other Christian background dropped to 43.8 percent.

At the time of Ireland’s independence in 1921, six counties in the north were to be excluded to form Northern Ireland. The region would remain under British rule and have a predominantly Protestant population. As of 2021 census, it is not related to others. Guardian.

Demographic change was expected, and had long been predicted by higher birth rates among Catholics. Nevertheless, the numbers are said to be a major blow to those in Northern Ireland who have traditionally associated a Protestant church with an identity as British.

– The state was created to draw a protective ring around the Protestants. Duncan Morrow, professor of political science at the University of Ulster, tells The Guardian that you can’t escape the symbolic importance of the change.

Most of the parties in Northern Ireland are registered unionists – Protestants who want to maintain a relationship with Great Britain in practice – and nationalists, meaning mainly Catholics who want a united Ireland.

Dissatisfaction with the Brexit solution

The data on the changing demographic balance comes at a time when many unionists are unhappy with a separate solution for Northern Ireland, with a sea border between Northern Ireland and the EU. Nationalist Sinn Fein overtook the Democratic Unionist Party to become Northern Ireland’s largest party in provincial elections in May, giving a boost to Sinn Fein’s demand for a referendum on Irish unity.

The census shows that around 32 per cent of today’s Northern Irish see themselves as British only, while 29 per cent identify as full Irish. Others identify themselves in different ways. In the last census, 40 and 25 per cent considered themselves to be fully British or fully Irish respectively.

The new census also shows that the proportion of people over 65 has increased by almost 25 per cent since 2011. The population grew by 5 percent over the same period and now stands at 1.9 million.

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