South Belfast is Northern Ireland’s 3rd-largest constituency by population, with 121,650 residents as of the 2024 mid-year estimate. It covers 44.8 square kilometres — the smallest constituency by area — giving it the highest population density in Northern Ireland, at 2,715.4 people per square kilometre.
Who represents you
Turnout in South Belfast at the 2022 Assembly election was 64.4%. The constituency currently elects five MLAs:
- Deirdre Hargey — Sinn Féin
- Edwin Poots — Democratic Unionist Party (Speaker, Committee Chair)
- Kate Nicholl — Alliance Party
- Matthew O’Toole — Social Democratic & Labour Party (Committee Chair)
- Paula Bradshaw — Alliance Party (Committee Chair)
Health
Life expectancy in South Belfast runs above the Northern Ireland average for both sexes: 79.7 years for men (NI average 78.8) and 83.8 years for women (NI average 82.5), based on 2021–2023 data.
Disease prevalence runs below the NI average per 1,000 patients (2024–2025 data) across almost every condition tracked, including hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and cancer, with only mental health conditions running above it.
Education
School leavers in South Belfast outperform the NI average across every attainment measure tracked for 2023–2024 — 90.6% 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 South Belfast rose from 71.1% in 2014 to 73.9% in 2024, running in line with the Northern Ireland average of 74.3%. Benefits claims also run well below the NI average across most categories — for instance, 8.1% 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 South Belfast’s MLAs and constituency page at mlas.news/constituency/south-belfast/.