The population of Northern Ireland has increased by 5% over the last decade, according to the latest census figures.

The population on Census Day, which was carried out in April last year was almost 1.7m.

The figures also show a higher proportion of young people under the age of 16 than the rest of the UK.

Statistics on the religious breakdown of the population will not be released until the end of the year.

Compared to the rest of the UK we are still a relatively young population

Robert Beatty Statistics and Research Agency

The census figures also revealed that on 29 April 2001, there were more women than men living in the province - with 863,818 females to 821,449 males.

While it had fewer people of pensionable age than the UK average, mid-year population estimates showed an increase of 7% in the number of pensioners in the province between 1991 and 2001.

Robert Beatty, a demographics expert with the Statistics and Research Agency, said they were confident that figures reflected an accurate picture of the population in Northern Ireland.

"The fact that there are more women than men is fairly typical of a western European country," he said.

"Those results are usually driven by the greater life expectancy of women than men.

Population shift

"Compared to the rest of the UK, we are still a relatively young population, but we are an ageing population, with a higher proportion of pensioners"

When the religious figures are released, they are expected to show a dramatic increase in the Catholic population.

The Protestant population stood at a 70/30 majority for much of the last century.

But two years into a new century and a new millennium, and the picture is very different.

Mitchel McLaughlin: Call for more frequent census

The latest figures have been estimated as high as 46% by Colin McIlhinney, research director with PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

The factors behind this rate of growth include birth and death rates.

The population shift is resulting from a higher Catholic birth rate in the latter half of the last century.

Death ratio

The latest Department of Education figures show a slight Catholic majority among schoolchildren under 16.

Last year's census was the first to be supported by Sinn Fein.

The party said it was important for everyone to back it but criticised certain references it used as "sectarian".

Party chairman Mitchel McLaughlin said the continued use of the term Roman Catholic was not only a poor descriptive term, but one that could dissuade people from identifying themselves.

He also said the 10-year gap between collecting the information was inadequate to monitor progress in tackling discrimination, disadvantage and poverty.

There was also controversy over another question on the form which queried the ability of the householder to speak, write, or understand the Irish language.

Democratic Unionist Party assembly member Jim Wells said it was "extremely unfortunate" that there was no question for those who speak the Ulster Scots language.