East Antrim had a population of 89,696 in 2024 — the 18th largest of Northern Ireland’s constituencies. It covers 593.2 square kilometres (10th largest by area), giving it the 10th-highest population density at 151.2 people per square kilometre.
Who represents you
Turnout in East Antrim at the 2022 Assembly election was 60.1%. The constituency currently elects five MLAs:
- Gordon Lyons — Democratic Unionist Party (Minister)
- Cheryl Brownlee — Democratic Unionist Party
- John Stewart — Ulster Unionist Party
- Danny Donnelly — Alliance Party
- Stewart Dickson — Alliance Party
Health
Life expectancy in East Antrim is close to the Northern Ireland average: 78.7 years for men (NI average 78.8) and 83.4 years for women (NI average 82.5), based on 2021–2023 data.
Disease prevalence runs above the NI average across most tracked conditions (2024–2025 data) — including hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, cancer and stroke — while heart failure and mental health prevalence run below the NI average.
Education
School leavers in East Antrim outperform the NI average across every attainment measure tracked for 2023–2024 — for example, 87.8% achieved at least 5 GCSEs at grades A*–C or equivalent, against an NI average of 87.4%.
Economy and benefits
The employment rate in East Antrim rose from 72.5% in 2014 to 76.9% in 2024, running above the Northern Ireland average of 74.3%. Benefits claims run above the NI average across most categories — for instance, 20.0% of the population claims Retirement Pension, against an NI average of 16.9%.
Data sources
Figures are drawn from the NI Assembly Research and Information Service’s Constituency Profiles dashboard, sourced from NISRA, the Department of Health, the Department of Education, the Department for Communities and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Most recent update: April 2026.
Track East Antrim’s MLAs and constituency page at mlas.news/constituency/east-antrim/.