Religion in Northern Ireland

Christianity is the largest religion in Northern Ireland. In the 2021 census, 79.7% of the Northern Irish population identified as Christians: Catholic (42.3%); Presbyterian (16.6%); Church of Ireland (11.5%); Methodist (2.4%); Other Christian (6.9%). Meanwhile, 1.3% of the population belonged to other religions, 17.4% stated they were non-religious and 1.5% did not state a religious or non-religious identity. The Catholic Church has seen a small growth in adherents, while the other recorded Christian groups have seen a decrease.
There are also small Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Buddhist and Jewish communities. Belfast has a synagogue, a gurdwara, a mosque and two Hindu temples. There is another gurdwara in Derry.
==Statistics==
The 2001, 2011, and 2021 Census figures for Religion (not Religion or Religion Brought Up In) are set out below.
Religion 	2001 	2001 	2011 	2011 	2021 	2021
Religion 	Number 	% 	Number 	% 	Number 	%
Catholic 	678,462 	40.2 	738,033 	40.8 	805,151 	42.3
Presbyterian 	348,742 	20.7 	345,101 	19.1 	316,103 	16.6
Church of Ireland 	257,788 	15.3 	248,821 	13.7 	219,788 	11.5
Methodist 	59,173 	3.5 	54,253 	3.0 	44,725 	2.4
Other Christian 	102,221 	6.1 	104,380 	5.8 	130,385 	6.9
(Total non-Catholic Christian)	767,924 	45.6 	752,555 	41.6 	711,001 	37.4
(Total Christian) 	1,446,386	85.8 	1,490,588	82.3 	1,516,152	79.7
Other religion 	5,028 	0.3 	14,859 	0.8 	25,524 	1.3
No religion 	233,853 	13.9 	183,164 	10.1 	330,983 	17.4
Religion not stated 	233,853 	13.9 	122,252 	6.8 	30,529 	1.6
Total population 	1,685,267	100.0	1,810,863	100.0	1,903,188	100.0
As of the 2021 Census, regarding religious background, four of the six traditional counties had a Catholic majority and two had a Protestant majority.
Religion or religious background of Northern Ireland residents by county	Religion or religious background of Northern Ireland residents by county	Religion or religious background of Northern Ireland residents by county	Religion or religious background of Northern Ireland residents by county	Religion or religious background of Northern Ireland residents by county	Religion or religious background of Northern Ireland residents by county	Religion or religious background of Northern Ireland residents by county	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Religion / religion of upbringing 	Antrim 	Armagh 	Derry 	Down 	Fermanagh 	Tyrone 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Religion / religion of upbringing 	Antrim 	Armagh 	Derry 	Down 	Fermanagh 	Tyrone 	Catholic	40.1%	58.2%	61.3%	32.3%	58.8%	66.5%
Protestant and other Christian 	47.0% 	34.0% 	32.5% 	53.5% 	35.5% 	28.9% 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Other religions 	2.1% 	1.2% 	0.9% 	1.5% 	1.1% 	0.6% 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
No religion nor religious upbringing 	10.8% 	6.7% 	5.3% 	12.7% 	4.6% 	4.0% 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
The religious affiliations in the local authority districts (themselves not merged since 2011" of Northern Ireland were as follows:
District 	2001 	2001 	2001 	2011 	2011 	2011
District 	Catholic	Protestant andother Christian	Other	Catholic	Protestant andother Christian	Other
Antrim 	35.2% 	47.2% 	17.6%	37.5% 	43.2% 	19.2%
Ards 	10.4% 	68.7% 	20.9%	10.9% 	65.4% 	23.6%
Armagh 	45.4% 	45.5% 	9.1% 	44.8% 	43.0% 	12.2%
Ballymena 	19.0% 	67.8% 	13.3%	20.4% 	63.3% 	16.3%
Ballymoney 	29.5% 	59.1% 	11.3%	29.6% 	56.7% 	13.6%
Banbridge 	28.6% 	58.7% 	12.7%	29.4% 	55.3% 	15.3%
Belfast 	42.1% 	40.3% 	17.5%	41.9% 	34.1% 	24.0%
Carrickfergus 	6.5% 	70.4% 	23.1%	7.6% 	67.2% 	25.2%
Castlereagh 	15.8% 	64.9% 	19.3%	19.5% 	57.3% 	23.2%
Coleraine 	24.1% 	60.5% 	15.4%	25.0% 	56.8% 	18.2%
Cookstown 	55.2% 	38.0% 	6.8% 	55.1% 	34.0% 	11.0%
Craigavon 	41.7% 	46.7% 	11.6%	42.1% 	42.1% 	15.8%
Derry 	70.9% 	20.8% 	8.4% 	67.4% 	19.4% 	13.1%
Down 	57.1% 	29.2% 	13.7%	57.5% 	27.1% 	15.4%
Dungannon 	57.3% 	34.9% 	7.7% 	58.7% 	29.8% 	11.5%
Fermanagh 	55.5% 	36.1% 	8.4% 	54.9% 	34.3% 	10.8%
Larne 	22.2% 	61.9% 	15.9%	21.8% 	59.7% 	18.5%
Limavady 	53.1% 	36.1% 	10.7%	56.0% 	34.3% 	9.7%
Lisburn 	30.1% 	53.6% 	16.4%	32.8% 	47.9% 	19.3%
Magherafelt 	61.5% 	32.0% 	6.5% 	62.4% 	28.3% 	9.3%
Moyle 	56.6% 	33.8% 	9.6% 	54.4% 	32.3% 	13.3%
Newry and Mourne	75.9% 	16.4% 	7.7% 	72.1% 	15.2% 	12.7%
Newtownabbey 	17.1% 	64.5% 	18.4%	19.9% 	57.8% 	22.3%
North Down 	10.0% 	64.5% 	25.5%	11.2% 	60.3% 	28.5%
Omagh 	65.1% 	26.3% 	8.6% 	65.4% 	24.8% 	9.8%
Strabane 	63.1% 	30.9% 	6.0% 	60.1% 	30.7% 	9.2%
Religions broken down by place of birth in the 2011 census.
Place of birth 	Catholic	Protestant andother Christian	Other religion	None ornot stated
Northern Ireland 	88.7% 	92.9% 	49.7% 	81.1%
England 	2.6% 	3.2% 	6.9% 	6.7%
Scotland 	0.5% 	0.9% 	1.1% 	1.6%
Wales 	0.1% 	0.1% 	0.4% 	0.3%
Republic of Ireland 	3.3% 	1.1% 	1.8% 	1.6%
Other EU: Member countries prior to 2004 expansion	0.4% 	0.3% 	1.0% 	1.4%
Other EU: Accession countries 2004 onwards 	3.1% 	0.3% 	1.8% 	3.5%
Other 	1.4% 	1.1% 	37.3% 	3.8%
The religious affiliations in the different age bands in the 2011 census were as follows:
Ages attained(years)	Catholic	Protestant andother Christian	Other religion	None ornot stated
0 to 4 	44.3% 	31.7% 	0.9% 	23.2%
5 to 9 	45.5% 	36.1% 	0.7% 	17.7%
10 to 14 	45.9% 	37.9% 	0.6% 	15.6%
15 to 19 	44.8% 	37.6% 	0.6% 	17.0%
20 to 24 	43.4% 	35.2% 	0.7% 	20.7%
25 to 29 	44.8% 	33.1% 	1.1% 	21.0%
30 to 34 	44.0% 	34.3% 	1.4% 	20.3%
35 to 39 	41.5% 	37.8% 	1.2% 	19.5%
40 to 44 	40.4% 	41.1% 	0.9% 	17.7%
45 to 49 	40.0% 	42.8% 	0.8% 	16.3%
50 to 54 	39.2% 	44.9% 	0.7% 	15.1%
55 to 59 	38.1% 	46.5% 	0.8% 	14.6%
60 to 64 	35.8% 	50.0% 	0.7% 	13.4%
65 to 69 	33.7% 	54.4% 	0.7% 	11.2%
70 to 74 	32.9% 	56.4% 	0.7% 	10.1%
75 to 79 	32.0% 	58.1% 	0.6% 	9.3%
80 to 84 	30.0% 	60.0% 	0.6% 	9.3%
85 to 89 	28.1% 	61.8% 	0.5% 	9.6%
90 and over 	25.8% 	64.0% 	0.5% 	9.6%
==Christianity==
Christianity is the main religion in Northern Ireland. The 2011 UK census showed 40.8% Catholic, 19.1% Presbyterian Church, with the Church of Ireland having 13.7% and the Methodist Church 5.0%. Members of other Christian churches comprised 5.8%, 17% stated they have no religion or did not state a religion, and members of non-Christian religions were 0.8%.
The Catholic Church is the largest single church. The Church is organised into four provinces though these are not coterminous with the modern political division of Ireland. The seat of the Archbishop of Armagh, the Primacy of Ireland, is St. Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh.
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland, closely -but not formally - linked to the Church of Scotland in terms of theology and history, is the second-largest church and largest Protestant denomination. It is followed by the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the state church of Ireland until it was disestablished by the Irish Church Act 1869. In 2002, the much smaller Methodist Church in Ireland signed a covenant for greater co-operation and potential ultimate unity with the Church of Ireland. The Church of Ireland is part of the Anglican Communion.
Smaller Protestant denominations such as the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland amongst Presbyterians and the Open Brethren exist in many rural communities. The Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland and the Assemblies of God Ireland are also organised on an all-Ireland basis, though in the case of the Assemblies of God this was the result of a recent reorganisation.Launch of the Assemblies of God Ireland eyeoneurope.org, accessed 31 December 2009
===Comparison with Great Britain===
In the 2011 census Northern Ireland had substantially more people stating that they were Christian (82.2%) than did England (59.4%), Scotland (53.8%) or Wales (57.6%). The proportion who stated that they had any religion was also higher in Northern Ireland (83%) than in England (68.1%), Scotland (56.3%) or Wales (60.3%). In Northern Ireland those who did not state any religion in the 2011 census amounted to 13.9% of the population, lower than in England (31.9%), Scotland (43.7%) or Wales (39.7%). This represented an increase from the 2001 census in those not stating a religion of 11.7% in Northern Ireland, lower than the increases in England (54.5%), Scotland (38.1%) or Wales (57.6%).
Secularisation in Northern Ireland has followed different paths within each of the two main communities, being at a more advanced stage within the mainly Protestant community in which it is reflected more often with a formal move away from the churches and by expressing no formal religious attachment, mirroring the pattern in Great Britain, whereas in the mainly Catholic community it is reflected by declining mass attendance but often with retaining a formal Catholic identification, mirroring the pattern in the Republic of Ireland. Those stating that they had no religion in the 2011 census were concentrated in largely Protestant areas, suggesting that they were mostly from a Protestant background.
===Comparison with the Republic of Ireland===
In their respective 2011 censuses Northern Ireland had a lower proportion of people stating that they were Christian (82.3%) than the Republic of Ireland (90.4%) and had a higher proportion of people stating that they had no religion or not indicating a religious belief (16.9%) than the Republic of Ireland (7.6%). While in the 2011 census 84.2% of people in the Republic of Ireland identified themselves as Catholic in the 2011 census in Northern Ireland only 40.8% identified themselves as Catholic.
==Minor religions==
===Islam===
While there were a small number of Muslims already living in what became Northern Ireland in 1921, the bulk of Muslims in Northern Ireland today come from families who have immigrated since the late 20th century. At the time of the 2011 Census there were 3,832 living in Northern Ireland,Northern Ireland Census 2001 Key Statistics although by the 2021 census, the Muslim population stood at 10,870 (or 0.57% of the population). The Belfast Islamic Centre states that roughly half of the Muslim population lives in Belfast alone. The Muslims in Northern Ireland come from over 40 countries of origin, from Western Europe all the way through to the Far East. This situation is reflected in comparably complex institutional arrangements.Scharbrodt, Oliver, "Islam in Ireland: organising a migrant religion". 318 – 336 in Olivia Cosgrove et al. (eds), Ireland's new religious movements. Cambridge Scholars, 2011; 
===Judaism===
The earliest recorded Jew living in Northern Ireland was a tailor by the name of Manuel Lightfoot in 1652. The first Jewish congregation in Northern Ireland, Belfast Hebrew Congregation, was founded in 1870. In 2006, there were an estimated 300 Jewish people living in Northern Ireland.
===Baháʼí Faith===
The Baháʼí Faith in Northern Ireland begins after a century of contact between Irishmen and Baháʼís beyond the island and on the island. The members of the religion elected its first Baháʼí Local Spiritual Assembly in 1949 in Belfast. The Baháʼís held an international conference in Dublin in 1982 which was described as “…one of the very few occasions when a world event for a faith community has been held in Ireland". By 1993 there were a dozen assemblies in Northern Ireland. By 2005 Baháʼí sources claim some 300 Baháʼís across Northern Ireland.
===Hinduism===
Hinduism is a relatively minor religion in Northern Ireland with only around 200 Hindu families in the region.Programme 1 – Indian Community bbc.c.uk, accessed 10 January 2009 There are, however, three Mandirs in Belfast and by the 2021 census the Hindu population had risen to 4,190 (or 0.22% of the population).
==History==
===The Troubles===
The Troubles were a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from approximately 1968 to the signing of the Belfast Agreement in 1998. Violence nonetheless continued beyond this period and still manifests on a small-scale basis.
The principal issues at stake in the Troubles were the constitutional status of Northern Ireland and the relationship between the mainly Protestant Unionist and mainly Catholic Nationalist communities in Northern Ireland. The Troubles had both political and military (or paramilitary) dimensions. Its participants included politicians and political activists on both sides, republican and loyalist paramilitary organisations, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the British Army and the security forces of the Republic of Ireland.
==See also==
*Demographics of Northern Ireland
*Religion in the United Kingdom
*Religion in the Republic of Ireland
==References==
==External links==
*Homepage of the Irish Bishops' Conference (Catholic)
*CatholicIreland.net, Content-rich portal of the Catholic Church in Ireland
*Presbyterian Church in Ireland
*Church of Ireland
*Methodist Church in Ireland
*Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland
*Assemblies of God Ireland
 
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