Government and politics in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom: official figures
The Northern Ireland Executive accounted for £28,307 million of spending in Northern Ireland in 2024-25 according to HM Treasury's Country and Regional Analysis, the main measure of how much the devolved government itself spends.
How many MLAs are in the Northern Ireland Assembly?
The Northern Ireland Assembly has 90 Members (MLAs), five from each of the 18 constituencies, elected by single transferable vote; it was cut from 108 seats at the 2017 election.
Source: Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service · saved copyWho won the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election?
At the last Assembly election, on 5 May 2022, Sinn Féin became the largest party with 27 seats and 29.0% of first preferences, ahead of the DUP (25 seats), Alliance (17), the UUP (9) and the SDLP (8); this gave Sinn Féin the right to nominate the First Minister.
Source: Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service · saved copyWhat was the turnout in the 2022 Northern Ireland election?
Turnout at the 2022 Assembly election was 63.6%, with 873,787 votes cast by an eligible electorate of 1,373,731, down slightly from 64.8% in 2017.
Source: Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service · saved copyHow many seats did Alliance win in 2022?
Alliance was the only party to make net gains in 2022, gaining 9 seats to reach 17, while the SDLP lost 4 and the DUP 3.
Source: Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service · saved copyHow many unionist and nationalist MLAs are there?
By community designation, Unionist Members held 37 of the 90 seats after 2022, Nationalists 35 and Others 18; 32 MLAs (35.6%) were women, from a field of 239 candidates.
Source: Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service · saved copyHow Northern Ireland compares with other nations
Turnout at the last devolved legislature election (%) (2022-2026)
Northern Ireland ranks 1 of 3, highest first. Scotland 2026 constituency vote (SPICe), Wales 2026 (Senedd Research), Northern Ireland 2022 (NI Assembly RaISe). England's regions have no devolved legislature.
| Rank | Region | Turnout at the last devolved legislature election (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Ireland | 63.6% |
| 2 | Scotland | 53.2% |
| 3 | Wales | 51.7% |
Devolved government's share of identifiable public spending (%) (2024-25)
Northern Ireland ranks 1 of 3, highest first. Only the three devolved nations have their own government
| Rank | Region | Devolved government's share of identifiable public spending (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Ireland | 91.1% |
| 2 | Scotland | 45.7% |
| 3 | Wales | 33.9% |
More on Northern Ireland: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · the United Kingdom
Sources
- Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service: Election Report: Northern Ireland Assembly Election, 5 May 2022 (NIAR 47-22), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 cbd5d8787361…)
- HM Treasury: Country and Regional Analysis 2025: A tables, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9a6a7af9e2bd…)
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