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This chapter examines the population by marital and civil partnership status, household composition and household size. The data in this chapter combines results from the censuses held in Northern Ireland in 2021 and in Ireland in 2022.
Figure 2.1 shows the marital and civil partnership status of the population aged 15 years and over since 2001/2002. The 'single' category refers to people who were never married or in a registered civil partnership. See the Background Notes for more information on how data from the marital status questions were aligned.
In Census 2021/2022, just under half of the population aged 15 and over in each jurisdiction (49%) were either married or separated. Close to two-fifths of the population were single (43% in Ireland and 39% in Northern Ireland). A greater proportion of the population in Northern Ireland were divorced than in Ireland (6% compared with 3%).
The percentage of people in Ireland who were single remained relatively stable across the last three censuses, standing at 43% in 2002, falling slightly to 42% in 2011, and returning to 43% in 2022. In contrast, the proportion in Northern Ireland increased from 34% in 2001 to 39% in 2021.
The percentage of people in Ireland who were married or in a civil partnership was also stable over the period (47% in 2002 and 2011, 46% in 2022), while in Northern Ireland the proportion decreased from 50% in 2001 to 45% in 2021.
The proportion of separated people remained relatively stable in both Ireland (3%) and Northern Ireland (4%) between 2001/2002 and 2021/2022.
The proportion of widowed people in Ireland decreased from 6% in 2002 to 5% in 2022. In Northern Ireland, 8% were widowed in 2001, decreasing to 6% in 2021.
The proportion of divorced people in Ireland increased from 1% in 2002 to 3% in 2022. In Northern Ireland, 4% were divorced in 2001, increasing to 6% in 2021.
In 2021/2022, there were 769,000 private households in Northern Ireland and over 1,841,000 private households in Ireland.
In the 2021/2022 censuses just over one-third (34%) of all households in Ireland consisted of a couple with children (of any age), compared with 28% of households in Northern Ireland.
Households composed of a couple without children accounted for 19% of total households in Ireland, compared with 13% in Northern Ireland.
In Ireland, 23% of all households comprised one person living alone. In Northern Ireland, the equivalent proportion was 31%.
One person households where the householder was aged 65 years or under accounted for 13% of households in Ireland and 19% in Northern Ireland.
One-in-ten households in Ireland (10%) comprised a person aged 66 years and over living alone; the equivalent was 12% in Northern Ireland
The proportion of one parent households was 10% of total households in Ireland and 14% in Northern Ireland.
Map 2.1 shows how the breakdown of household composition varied across Ireland and Northern Ireland.
In 2022, Meath had the highest proportion of households consisting of a couple with children (43%) in Ireland while Dublin City had the lowest at 21%.
In Northern Ireland, Mid Ulster was the area with the highest proportion of households comprising a couple with children (37%) while the lowest was 19% in Belfast.
In Ireland, couples with no children ranged from 17% of households in South Dublin to 21% in Mayo. While in Northern Ireland, couple family households with no children ranged from 10% in Derry City and Strabane to 16% in Lisburn and Castlereagh.
One-in-five households in Derry City and Strabane (20%) comprised a one parent family with children. The lowest proportion in Northern Ireland was recorded in Lisburn and Castlereagh (11%). In Ireland, households comprising one parent family with children ranged from 8% in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown to 12% in Louth.
One-in-four households in Belfast (25%) comprised a person aged under 66 years living alone, the highest recorded across the island. In Ireland, the equivalent proportions ranged from 9% in South Dublin to 18% in Dublin City.
In Ireland, the greatest proportion of households with an older person (aged 66 years or over) living alone was recorded in Leitrim (14%). In Northern Ireland, Ards and North Down reported the greatest proportion, also 14%.
Changes in household size over the last two decades show similar trends across the island of Ireland. In general, the proportion of smaller households has increased while the proportion of larger households has decreased.
The proportion of one and two-person households increased from 47% in 2002 to 52% in 2022 in Ireland. Similarly in Northern Ireland, it increased from 55% in 2001 to 61% in 2021.
The proportion of households with 5 or more persons decreased from 18% in 2002 to 13% in 2022 in Ireland. Likewise in Northern Ireland, the proportion of households with 5 or more persons decreased from 13% in 2001 to 9% in 2021.
In 2021/2022, there were, on average, 2.74 people per private household in Ireland and 2.44 in Northern Ireland.
In Ireland, Fingal and Meath recorded the largest average household sizes at 3.02, followed by South Dublin and Kildare (2.97).
The lowest average household size in Ireland was recorded in Dublin city (2.48) followed by Sligo (2.54).
In Northern Ireland, average household size ranged from 2.25 people per household in Belfast to 2.76 in Mid Ulster.
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