About us

Who we are

Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), which incorporates the General Register Office (GRO), is an executive agency of the Department of Finance (NI) and was established on 1 April 1996.

Our central purpose is to provide trusted and independent insights on life in Northern Ireland, by delivering trustworthy, high-quality statistics, analysis, research and registration services which provide evidence to inform policy discussions and public debate in Northern Ireland.

We provide these services through a network of people embedded throughout the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) and the public sector more broadly. Almost 500 staff work across 24 government departments, executive agencies and arm’s length bodies.

Diagram showing a breakdown of NISRA staff within each department

The NISRA Corporate Plan sets out an ambitious vision for the analytical services we provide. Our annual Business Plan is published alongside our Annual reports and accounts.

The Agency is directed by the Chief Executive with support from a Senior Management Team and an Agency Board. Our governance arrangements are set out in the NISRA Framework document, and are supported by the Statistics Advisory Committee.

What we do

The General Register Office for NI provides registration services to the general public: recording a wide range of life events through our network of Registrars.

We publish official statistics and research which are fundamental to good government, to the delivery of public services and to decision-making in all sectors of society. We undertake the Census of population and housing in Northern Ireland every ten years.

We make available a range of maps and digital products that support the use of Statistical Geography in developing and disseminating statistics. We facilitate researchers access to project specific de-identified data in a secure environment in order to carry out secondary data analysis, through the NISRA Research Support Unit (RSU).

Business Planning Documents

Our Annual Business Plan is published alongside our annual reports an accounts.

Our News and Publications

Publications: Search NISRA DoF publications and choose filters to show only the results you want

Explore the list of our upcoming statistical releases

News: Search news and choose filters to show only the results you want

Contact Us

List of contacts

Official Statistics

Learn more about the Official Statistics Code of Practice, Pre-Release Access and find out who produces Official Statistics in Northern Ireland.

Public Awareness of and Trust in Official Statistics

Raising awareness of NISRA and maintaining public trust and confidence are crucial to us. We actively monitor and report on these aspects through the Public Awareness of and Trust (Confidence) in Official Statistics (PCOS) publication. This report provides a comprehensive summary of public awareness and trust in Official Statistics in Northern Ireland.