BelfastCountsBelfast, in numbers.Local help →Belfast · Northern Ireland
Belfast council area. Every figure carries its own date.
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats drawn from the available evidence. These are analytical judgements, not an official council assessment. Where a national comparison is available, lower housing costs, lower reported poor health and higher qualification shares are treated as relative strengths; this does not prove affordability or service quality.
strength
The average home price is £185,000 (July 2026) in Belfast council area. This is about £18,000 lower than the Northern Ireland average for the same month.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
What could help →strength
34.4% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Belfast council area. Across Northern Ireland, the figure was 32.1%.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
What could help →weakness
10% of people reported bad or very bad health in Belfast council area (21 March 2021). Across Northern Ireland, the figure was 7.7%.
This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.
What could help →opportunity
Belfast Stories is at design and planning stage, alongside agreed guidance for the Cathedral Quarter and waterfront.
The attraction could bring new public space and creative activity, but needs to fit residents, businesses and the historic setting. Guidance is not planning permission.
What could help →opportunity
14.7% of people in Belfast council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021).
Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.
What could help →opportunity
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Belfast council area.
Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.
What could help →opportunity
2 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
What could help →The evidence gathered here does not yet support a distinct finding in this category.