Photo: Eric Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0Killyleagh sits above 95% of towns in England and Wales for households in terraced houses (41%)
The share of adults who have never married tops 83% of towns in England and Wales: 38%. On households without a car or van, Killyleagh sits higher than 75% of towns in England and Wales: 21%. The town had 2,787 residents in 1,253 households at the 2021 Census. Locally, 1.1% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home.
Killyleagh is younger than 66% of towns in England and Wales: a median age of 42.4
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
Residents aged 15 to 24 make up 11%, against 12% across Northern Ireland’s towns. At 18%, the share of residents aged 65 and over is lower than in three quarters of towns in England and Wales. 50–54 is the most common age band: 8.1% of residents.
Median age of towns in England and Wales of 2,500+
■ Killyleagh, 42.4. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across Northern Ireland, 51% of residents are women.
A higher share of full-time students than 90% of towns in England and Wales, at 6.7%
What adults did at the 2021 Census (the NS-SEC classes), and where residents lived a year earlier.
Adults by occupation class · residents 16 and over
Address a year before the Census
Residents who lived somewhere else a year earlier. The bar runs to 25%.
Across Northern Ireland’s towns, 29% of adults are in managerial and professional jobs and 27% in routine or semi-routine work; Killyleagh has 24% and 29%. The share of full-time students across Northern Ireland’s towns is 8.3%. For Killyleagh, the census puts residents who moved in within the year at 8.7%.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
Smaller households than 71% of towns in England and Wales: 2.2 people on average
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Newry, Mourne and Down’s towns and Northern Ireland’s towns
People per household
Northern Ireland’s towns.
Across Northern Ireland’s towns, 29% of households have dependent children; in Killyleagh, 27%. Still, more one-person households than in 88% of towns in England and Wales: 35%.
Households in detached houses make up 19% in Killyleagh, less than in 75% of towns in England and Wales
Accommodation type and cars or vans per household, Census 2021. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Cars or vans · share of households
Households in flats make up 12%, against 14% across Northern Ireland’s towns. The comparison figure for households in detached houses is 24% across Northern Ireland’s towns.
In Killyleagh, 97% of residents have English as their main language, fewer than in 63% of towns in England and Wales
Country of birth, year of arrival and main language, Census 2021.
Born outside the UK, by region · share of all residents; the bar runs to 15%
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
Among residents born abroad, the largest groups were born in EU countries (4.6%) and in the Americas, Oceania and elsewhere (0.9%). Across Northern Ireland’s towns, residents whose main language is English come to 94%. Compared with 10% across Northern Ireland’s towns, 6.6% of residents were born outside the UK here.
A lower share of residents with no religion than 98% of towns in England and Wales, at 23%
How residents described themselves at the 2021 Census. Lines join the lowest and highest of the three figures.
Ethnic groups other than White · all residents
White, not charted: 99% of Killyleagh · Newry, Mourne and Down’s towns 98% · Northern Ireland’s towns 96%.
Religion · all residents
Residents who describe themselves as Christian: 76%, near enough the figure across Northern Ireland’s towns. Across Northern Ireland’s towns, the share of residents with no religion is 21%.
Unpaid carers make up 13% in Killyleagh, more than in 99% of towns in England and Wales
Legal partnership status (residents 16 and over) and unpaid care (residents 5 and over), Census 2021.
Partnership status · residents 16 and over
Unpaid care given · share of residents 5 and over
Just over two in five adults are married or in a civil partnership (Northern Ireland’s towns: 41%). As a reference point, just over one in ten residents give unpaid care across Northern Ireland’s towns.
26% of adults have qualifications at degree level
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Across Northern Ireland’s towns, 25% of adults have no qualification; in Killyleagh, 24%, while 26% hold one at degree level (32%). The highest qualification of 17% is A levels, often students still at university.
Among 515 UK towns of 2,500 to 4,000 people, the 99th youngest
Median age, Census 2021. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
Keele is the youngest (20.6); West Chiltington the oldest (63.1). Nearest to Killyleagh in age: Bruton (42.3), Shenley (42.4), Bishop's Itchington (42.6) and Yarnton (42.6).
Of the 5 towns nearest Killyleagh, 2 are older
Nearby towns coloured by median age, Census 2021. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Homes with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killyleagh | 2,787 | — | 42.4 | 18% | 27% |
| Downpatrick | 11,545 | 5.5 mi | 38.5 | 16% | 33% |
| Saintfield | 3,588 | 8.2 mi | 43.7 | 20% | 29% |
| Ballygowan | 3,138 | 9.2 mi | 39.1 | 14% | 33% |
| Ballynahinch | 6,164 | 9.7 mi | 40 | 19% | 29% |
| Comber | 9,529 | 11 mi | 46.1 | 24% | 25% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The Census was taken in a lockdown, in term time. 21 March 2021 fell in term time, and students were asked to give their term-time address, so most were counted where they study. Some may have been living with family that day.
- “Newry, Mourne and Down’s towns” and “Northern Ireland’s towns” mean their settlements. Census comparisons pool every town in Newry, Mourne and Down (or Northern Ireland), summed the same way as Killyleagh’s figures, so households in open countryside are left out.
- Small counts are blurred. NISRA adds small random changes to Census counts to protect privacy, so the same total differs a little between tables, and the shares of a small town can move by a point or two.
Questions about Killyleagh’s residents
What is the population of Killyleagh?
The 2021 Census counted 2,787 people in Killyleagh’s settlement.
What is the average age in Killyleagh?
The median age was 42.4 at the 2021 Census, younger than 66% of towns in England and Wales. 11% of residents were 15 to 24 and 18% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Killyleagh?
99% of residents described themselves as White in 2021, against 96% across Northern Ireland’s towns and 98% across Newry, Mourne and Down’s towns. 6.6% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Killyleagh?
23% said they had no religion and 76% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 1.1% didn’t answer.
Is Killyleagh good for families?
27% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across Northern Ireland’s towns. Schools are on Killyleagh’s schools page.
Sources: NISRA Census 2021 (Flexible Table Builder), data zones summed to NISRA’s Settlement Development Limits 2015 (household composition by super data zone; women and men from whole data zones, which approximate the town’s boundary). Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.