Electorate Statistics for Northern Ireland
- Electorate Statistics by Electoral Ward 2025
- Electorate Statistics by Electoral Ward 2024
- Electorate Statistics by Electoral Ward 2016 - 2023
Electorate Statistics in relation to 2021 Canvass
The last registration Canvass of electors in Northern Ireland was held in Summer 2021. Northern Ireland Canvass law requires all electors to register or re-register to vote at each Canvass. This is because the law requires the Electoral Register to be "wiped clean" after the Canvass is started.(2)
Northern Ireland Canvass law allows the Chief Electoral Officer to retain electors on the Electoral Register for a short period if there was no Canvass response. However, retention can only be done if administrative data supports the elector's continued registration. More details of the retention or carry forward process are given in the Electoral Commission report on the 2021 Canvass(1).
The UK Parliament recently passed The Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 which amended the carry forward process. The amended law allows carry forward electors from the 2021 Canvass to be retained on the Electoral Register until 2027. In the period to 2027, the amended law also requires a regular review of all carry forward electors. More details on this review will be published by the Electoral Office in due course.
By January 2025 the number of carry forward electors from the 2021 Canvass was 87,000. More detailed statistics are available at Electors Carried Forward from 2021 Canvass (Jan 2025).
(1) The Canvass was reviewed in the Electoral Commission review of Northern Ireland electoral registration canvass 2021.
(2) More details are included in a letter from the Chief Electoral Officer to Secretary of State on the need for a Canvass (April 2024).