Population estimates relate to the population as of 30th June each year, and therefore are often referred to as mid-year estimates. They are used to allocate public funds to the Northern Ireland Executive through the Barnett formula and are widely used by Northern Ireland government departments for the planning of services, such as health and education.
These statistics are also of interest to those involved in research and academia. They are widely used to express other statistics as a rate, and thus enable comparisons across the United Kingdom and other countries.
Furthermore, population estimates form the basis for future population statistics such as population projections.
