Migration cited as main reason for slight NI population growth

Northern Ireland’s population grew by 0.4 per cent in the year up to June 2024, a report by the official statistics agency suggests.

Figures from the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) estimate that 7,500 more people live in Northern Ireland compared to June 2023, with net migration being the main reason.

Despite the increase, the overall figure for net migration in Northern Ireland fell by about 1,800 people compared to the previous 12 months.

Between June 2023 and mid-2024, just under 23,000 people left Northern Ireland.

More than 11,000 people who moved to the region during that year came from other parts of the UK, with nearly 17,000 others coming from elsewhere.

NISRA says this includes asylum seekers and those who arrived as part of the humanitarian response in Ukraine.

The report also shows there were also more births than deaths.

Derry City and Strabane was the council area with the largest population increase, driven strongly by net migration.

Newry, Mourne and Down was the only district to see an overall fall in numbers.

It means the total population of Northern Ireland has steadily grown for the past 25 years, with an average increase of 0.5% per year over the past decade.

The number now stands at an estimated 1.93 million, with the rate of growth remaining slower than in Scotland, England and Wales.

NISRA’s Mid-Year Population Estimates also suggests an aging local population, with one in six people now aged over 65, and the number of those aged under 15 falling to one in five.

A higher percentage of very elderly residents are female, with women accounting for nearly 63% of people aged over 85.

Over-65s account for the largest increase in any age group over recent years and is now more than 38% bigger than in 1999.

Figures used by NISRA are calculated by using information from sources including the Medical Card Register, the General Register Office, and education statistics.