Ards and North Down: local statistics
Ards and North Down is a local government district in Northern Ireland, home to an estimated 165,407 people (mid-2025). This page brings together 7 official figures for the area, each with its period, publisher and the address it was read from. See also who has power over Ards and North Down, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
HM Land Registry puts the average price of a home in Ards and North Down at £227,275 for July 2026, a rise of 7.0% in twelve months. It ranks as the 2nd highest in Northern Ireland (average for Northern Ireland: £202,487). This July figure is the highest in the series, 68% up on July 2016.
In March 2026, 6,005 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses were based in Ards and North Down, 11% more than in 2016. There are 36 per 1,000 residents, the lowest of all 11 council areas in Northern Ireland.
A girl born in Ards and North Down in 2022 to 2024 could expect to live 83.5 years and a boy 79.9 years, on the ONS's period measure (Northern Ireland: 82.6 and 78.8). For women that is 0.9 years more than in 2012 to 2014; for men, 0.2 more. It is the 3rd highest for women in Northern Ireland.
In April 2025 the middle full-time earner living in Ards and North Down took home £714.80 a week before tax. It is the 4th highest of 11 in Northern Ireland, and 0.1% less than across Northern Ireland. Jobs based in Ards and North Down paid a median £651.40 a week, £63.40 less than the figure for people who live there.
In mid-2025 the population of Ards and North Down was estimated at 165,407, unchanged on a year earlier. The ten-year change since mid-2015 is +3.8%, against +4.0% for Northern Ireland as a whole. That is mid-table in Northern Ireland, 5th of 11. The series peaked at 165,415 in mid-2024.
2.6% of Ards and North Down residents aged 16 to 64 (2,510 people) were on the claimant count in August 2026; the rate for Northern Ireland was 2.9%. A year earlier the rate was 2.7%. The five-year high was 3.8% (August 2021); the low was 2.4% (July 2026).
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 159,362 |
| 2016 | 160,299 |
| 2017 | 160,931 |
| 2018 | 161,816 |
| 2019 | 162,807 |
| 2020 | 163,206 |
| 2021 | 163,827 |
| 2022 | 164,223 |
| 2023 | 164,913 |
| 2024 | 165,415 |
| 2025 | 165,407 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £134,994 |
| July 2017 | £140,345 |
| July 2018 | £144,543 |
| July 2019 | £149,121 |
| July 2020 | £155,581 |
| July 2021 | £170,864 |
| July 2022 | £188,033 |
| July 2023 | £188,602 |
| July 2024 | £205,228 |
| July 2025 | £222,918 |
| July 2026 | £227,275 |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 82.6 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 82.8 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 82.9 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 82.7 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 82.6 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 83.0 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 82.8 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 82.8 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 82.9 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 83.4 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 83.5 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 5,430 |
| 2017 | 5,520 |
| 2018 | 5,655 |
| 2019 | 5,760 |
| 2020 | 5,765 |
| 2021 | 5,775 |
| 2022 | 5,845 |
| 2023 | 5,790 |
| 2024 | 5,820 |
| 2025 | 5,870 |
| 2026 | 6,005 |
Questions about Ards and North Down
What is the average house price in Ards and North Down?
£227,275 in July 2026, on HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index (+7.0% on a year).
What is life expectancy in Ards and North Down?
For 2022 to 2024 the ONS gives 79.9 years for men and 83.5 for women.
What is the average salary in Ards and North Down?
Median pay for full-time employees living in Ards and North Down was £714.80 a week in April 2025, from the NISRA Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
What is the population of Ards and North Down?
165,407 in mid-2025, the latest ONS mid-year estimate.
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in Ards and North Down?
The ONS claimant count was 2,510 in August 2026, 2.6% of 16 to 64-year-olds. It counts benefit claims, not unemployment.
Who has power over Ards and North Down
Every body that makes decisions for Ards and North Down, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 3: Local councils
- Ards and North Down council this page
- Ards and North Down in official figures this page
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
- Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive makes law for Northern Ireland on devolved subjects
Level 6: National government
- North Down: Alex Easton (Independent) MP
- Strangford: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
Each value above links to the official file or query it was read from, on 14 October 2026. What each figure measures.
- Average house price: Northern Ireland figures come from Land & Property Services.
- Median full-time pay (residents): Read from “Home LGD14 Table 8 (NI).1 Weekly pay - Gross 2025.ods” in the NISRA tables.
- Median full-time pay (jobs here): Read from “Work LGD14 Table 7 (NI).1 Weekly pay - Gross 2025.ods” in the NISRA tables.
More on this area and these figures
- Figures for Northern Ireland
- UK figures: UK average house price · Life expectancy at birth (UK) · UK average weekly earnings growth
- Other council areas in Northern Ireland: Antrim and Newtownabbey · Causeway Coast and Glens · Derry City and Strabane · Lisburn and Castlereagh · Mid Ulster · Newry, Mourne and Down
Related questions
- What is the average house price in my area?
- How healthy is my area?
- What is the average salary in my area?
- What is the population of my area?
- How do I check my council tax band?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.