The Census also showed a 63.5% increase in the number of people in Northern Ireland who hold an Irish passport
Catholics outnumber Protestants in Northern Ireland for the first time since the partition of the island, census figures show.
The publication of the census traditionally prompts debate over what the figures mean for the constitutional future of Northern Ireland. Some may draw a link between the religious breakdown and public opinion on the potential reunification of Ireland. The proportion of the population that said they were "Irish-only" was 29.1% while those identifying as "Northern Irish-only" was 19.8%. In Census 2011, when the question on national identity was included for the first time, 40% said they had a British-only national identity, 6% said they were British and Northern Irish, 25% said they were Irish-only, and 21% viewed their identity as only Northern Irish.
Under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement peace deal, the constitutional status of Northern Ireland can be changed only with the consent of its population. A Northern Ireland secretary is obliged to call a referendum on Irish unity if they believe there has been a shift in public opinion that would indicate a majority in favour of constitutional change.
The figures published on Thursday also highlighted growing diversity within the population in Northern Ireland. The number of people belonging to an ethnic minority rose to 3.4% of the population , up from 1.8% in 2011 .
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