New Census Data: Mid Ulster has strongest Irish speaking population in the North

Mid Ulster has the highest Irish speaking population in the North according to the latest release of the 2021 Census data.

New employment, education, marriage, sexuality and migration statistics have also been released for Causeway Coast and Glens (CCG), Derry City and Strabane (DCS) and Mid Ulster (MU).

Employment

In CCG 2.3% of people are unemployed but economically active, in Mid Ulster 1.8% are unemployed, and 3.1% of people in DCS are unemployed. DCS has the highest employment in the North.

Men are more likely to be able to work but unemployed than women in all three areas. 2.9% of men and 1.8% of women in CCG, 2.2% of men and 1.5% of women in MU, 4.1% of men and 2.2% of women in DCS.

In CCG 44.2% were economically inactive (e.g. retired, looking after home and family, long-term sick or disabled), in MU 36.8% were, and in DCS 45% were.

In CCG 49% of women were economically inactive as were 39.2% of men, in MU 42.9% of women were economically inactive as were 30.8% of men and in DCS 49.% of women and 40.7% of men

Around 70% of adults in employment were working full-time (31 hours or more per week) with the remaining 30% working part-time.

The two largest industry sectors of workers in the North were Human Health & Social work activities with 140,000 workers and Wholesale & retail trade with 137,000 workers.

In total 10% of the adults in employment were working 15 hours or less per week.

From 2011 to 2021 there has been faster growth in part-time workers than in full-time workers. Part-time workers increased by 13%, while full-time workers increased by 3%. Those working 15 hours or less per week grew by 31%.

Work commutes

In CCG 68% of people drive to work in a car or van, 5.6% get to work as a passenger or by shared driving and 0.8% get a bus. About 5.6% of people in the area walk to work.

In MU 69% drive to work, 6% get to work as a passenger or by shared driving and 1.8% get a bus. In MU 5.4% get to work on foot.

In DCS 63% drive to work, 6.8% get there as a passenger or by shared driving and 1.7% get a bus. Around 7.8% walk to work.

In CCG 17% of people work mainly from home, in MU it falls to 16% and in DCS it is also around 17%.

Sexual Orientation

This was the first census to track sexual orientation in the North.

In Causeway Coast and Glens 1.4% of adults (over 16 years old) Identify as 'LGB+' ('Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Other sexual orientation'), while 1.1% of adults in Mid-Ulster identified as LGB+, and 2% in Derry City and Strabane identified as 'LGB+'.

A further 7.5% of adults didn't state or preferred not to say in CCG, 8.8% in MU did not answer, 7.6% in DCS also did not answer.

In total 31,600 adults (2.1%) in the North identified as LGB+, 1.364 million adults or 90% identified as 'Straight or Heterosexual' and 119,000 adults or 8% either did not answer the question or ticked 'Prefer not to say';

Around 4.6% of people aged 16 to 24 identified as LGB+, this falls to 0.3% of people aged 65 and over.

Northern Ireland has the lowest percentage of adults who identify as LGB+, thereafter comes Wales with 3.0% of adults who identify as LGB+ and then England with 3.2%.

The Scottish census was run separately a year later.

Irish Language

The census found that Mid Ulster has the highest Irish speaking population per capita in the North.

In CCG 5.4% of people can speak Irish, 1.7% of people speak Irish daily, 1.2% speak Irish weekly and 2% speak Irish by less than weekly and 0.5% can speak irish but never do.

In MU 11.44% of people can speak Irish and 4.3% of them do so daily. A further 2.6% speak Irish weekly, 4% speak Irish less than weekly and 0.6% of people can speak irish but never do.

In DCS 8.8% of people can speak Irish, 2.8% speak it daily, 1.9% weekly, 3.4% less than weekly, 0.7% can speak Irish but never do.

Marriage

In CCG 48% of people over 16 are married or in a civil partnership, 3.3% are separated, 6.36% are divorced, 6.7% are widowed. In CCG 35.7% are single (never married or in civil partnership).

In MU 50% are married or in a civil partnership, 3.2% are separated, 4.6% are divorced, 5.9% are widowed. Single people make up 36.3% of the adult population.

In DCS 41.2% are married or in a civil partnership, 4.9% are separated, 5.9% are divorced, 6.1% are widowed. In the area 41.9% of adults are single.

Education

In CCG 29.2% of the population has a level four qualification or above. This includes a Degree (for example BA, BSc), foundation degree, HND, HNC, NVQ Level 4-5, professional qualifications (for example teaching, nursing) or equivalent qualifications.

The population of CCG without a qualification in 26% and 6.6% have done apprenticeships. The remaining percentage is spread across other qualifications.

In MU 29.3% have level four or above, 27.5% have no qualifications, 7.1% have done apprenticeships.

In DCS 29.6% of people have a level four or above while 28.4% of people have no qualifications and 5.4% have done apprenticeships.

Migration

In CCG 89.7% of the population was born in the North, 86.1% of people in MU were born in the North and in DCS 88.7% were.