North Belfast is Northern Ireland’s 7th-largest constituency by population, with 111,913 residents as of the 2024 mid-year estimate. It covers 50.3 square kilometres — the 16th-largest constituency by area — giving it the 2nd-highest population density in Northern Ireland, at 2,224.9 people per square kilometre.
Who represents you
Turnout in North Belfast at the 2022 Assembly election was 61.7%. The constituency currently elects five MLAs:
- Brian Kingston — Democratic Unionist Party
- Carál Ní Chuilín — Sinn Féin (Deputy Speaker)
- Gerry Kelly — Sinn Féin
- Nuala McAllister — Alliance Party
- Phillip Brett — Democratic Unionist Party (Committee Chair)
Health
Life expectancy in North Belfast runs below the Northern Ireland average for both sexes: 75.4 years for men (NI average 78.8) and 79.6 years for women (NI average 82.5), based on 2021–2023 data.
Disease prevalence runs mostly below the NI average per 1,000 patients (2024–2025 data), including hypertension, chronic kidney disease, coronary heart disease and cancer, though diabetes, COPD and mental health conditions run above it.
Education
School leavers in North Belfast track close to the NI average on the headline attainment measure for 2023–2024 — 87.7% achieved at least 5 GCSEs at grades A*–C or equivalent, against an NI average of 87.4% — though North Belfast lags further behind on higher-grade measures.
Economy and benefits
The employment rate in North Belfast rose sharply from 52.0% in 2014 to 71.2% in 2024, closing most of the gap with the Northern Ireland average but still running slightly below it (74.3% in 2024). Benefits claims also run well above the NI average across most categories — for instance, 17.1% of the population claims Personal Independence Payment, against an NI average of 11.4%.
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 North Belfast’s MLAs and constituency page at mlas.news/constituency/north-belfast/.