Northern Ireland records more Catholics than Protestants for first time

For the first time in history, more people in Northern Ireland identify as Catholic than Protestant.

Data from the 2021 census information released last week indicated 45.7% of those surveyed said they were Catholic compared to 43.5% of the populace saying they were Protestant, according to the Irish Post.

A decade ago, polling showed 48% of Northern Irish considered themselves Protestants compared to the 45% surveyed who said they were Catholic. That was the first time the 101-year-old United Kingdom province counted less than 50% of its populous as Protestant.

The Catholic News Service reports that societal shift could argue for a referendum asking voters if they want to remain a part of Great Britain or unite with the predominantly Catholic Republic of Ireland.

Roughly 5% of those in the Republic of Ireland identified as Protestant in the 2011 census.

For a period that began in the late 1960s and ran through the late 1990s, Northern Ireland experienced a series of ethno-nationalist conflicts that came to be known as The Troubles. That division, which had religious undertones, took place between those on the Emerald Isle who wanted Northern Ireland to remain a part of Great Britain and those who wished for it to unify with the Republic of Ireland.

Sinn Fein hails ‘new era’ as it wins Northern Ireland vote

More than 9% of Northern Irish surveyed in 2021 said they belonged to no religious group.

In May, the Irish political party Sinn Fein celebrated winning the largest number of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly for the first time. That organization advocates for a unified Ireland.