Er what immigration Crisis? Northern Ireland population grows by a massive 0.4%…

Immigration is a hot topic these days, but why let the facts get in the way of emotion?

From the Irish News:

According to the ONS data, the north’s net population increased by 7,467 between mid-2023 and mid-2024, representing a net growth of 0.39%.

Across the north’s 11 council areas, Newry, Mourne and Down saw its population fall, with the remaining areas recording estimated increases of less than 2,000 people each.

The Belfast City Council area added just 1,857 new residents over the 12 months.

Belfast was followed by Derry City and Strabane with 1,524, Lisburn and Castlereagh with 847, and Antrim and Newtownabbey with 802 people.

The remaining seven council areas recorded even smaller increases, with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon gaining 757 people, Mid Ulster adding 712, and Ards and North Down up by 502.

Fermanagh and Omagh saw an increase of just 492 people, while Causeway Coast and Glens added 221 residents and Mid and East Antrim recorded the smallest growth with just 73 new people.”

I am not saying we don’t need to have sensible conversations about immigration, but talk of being ‘overrun’ is not reflected in the actual figures.

But I hear you ask what about all the illegal migrants? Yes, it is true that there are issues with counting these people, as they obviously prefer to keep a low profile.

There is the practical issue of us being an island, so it would be very difficult for illegal migrants to get here without showing some form of ID for the travel crossing. Also, why would they want to come here? The main destination seems to be England.

So, like everything, we interpret the data to suit our perceptions.

Brian O'Neill

Managing Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any political party. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.