³ÉÈËÂÛ̳

The planned publication next week of figures showing the religious make-up of Northern Ireland at the recent Census has been put back by two days.

The release date was supposed to be Tuesday, the day after the Queen's funeral.

Instead the information will be published 48 hours later at 09:30 BST on Thursday 22 September.

Statistics about national identity and passports held will also be released.

The results of the 2011 Census indicated that 45.1% of the population were Catholic or brought up Catholic, and 48.4% were from a Protestant or other Christian background.

The findings from the latest Census, held on Sunday 21 March 2021, are being released in stages by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra).

Earlier this year it was announced that the population had risen to 1.9 million, the highest figure recorded since Northern Ireland was established in 1921.

The total population was 1,903,100, with slightly more females than males.

People were urged to complete the recent Census online if they could, rather than on paper - eight out of every 10 people took the online option.

A Census occurs every 10 years and participation is compulsory.