Statistics released by NISRA show that, for the first time, Catholics outnumber Protestants in Northern Ireland—the part of the island of Ireland which remains in the United Kingdom. Catholics now make up 45.7 per cent of the population in Northern Ireland, with the number of Protestants at 43.48 per cent. Ten years ago, the figures were 45.1 per cent and 48.4 per cent respectively.
Strikingly, in terms of national identity, 31.9 per cent of people in Northern Ireland say they now have a British-only identity, with 29.1 per cent having an Irish-only identity, and a further 19.8 per cent a Northern Irish identity (8 per cent say they have both a British and Northern Irish identity). Brexit has recently affected the situation in Northern Ireland, with its implications for the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.
