NI Ethnicity Stats Released

Statistics on ethnicity, country of birth and language in Northern Ireland have been released by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency as part of the 2011 Census.

The Census showed that residents from the Asian, Black, Mixed or Other main ethnic groups were generally younger that those of White ethnicity.

93% of people of Mixed ethnicity were aged under 45 years, compared with 87% of those who were of Black origin, 82% of people of Asian ethnicity, 76% of those from Other ethnic groups and 61% of people who were ethnically White.

Households in which the Household Reference Person (HRP) was of Asian or Black ethnicity were more likely to contain four or more people (39% and 36% respectively), than households in which the HRP was from the Other (30%), Mixed (29%) or White (25%) ethnic groups.

Over a third (35%) of residents of Asian ethnic origin worked in professional occupations, compared to 17% of people of White ethnicity.

People of White ethnicity were more likely than those from other main ethnic groups to be employed in administrative and secretarial occupations (14%).

The proportions for Other or Asian ethnic groups were 6.7% and 5.0% respectively.

Elsewhere, 10% of residents who were of White ethnicity were born outside Northern Ireland, compared with 85% of people from the Black main ethnic group, 79% of those of Asian origin, 68% of those of Other ethnicity and 39% of those of Mixed ethnicity.

Households in which the Household Reference Person (HRP) was born outside Northern Ireland had a larger average household size (2.64 persons) than households in which the HRP was born in Northern Ireland (2.53).

Residents born outside Northern Ireland were more likely to live in the private rented sector (36% versus 13%) and less likely to live in owner-occupied accommodation (54% versus 74%).

Some 57% of usual residents aged 16-74 born in Northern Ireland were in employment on Census Day 2011, making up the majority of the 66% who were economically active.

(IT/JP)