Belfast West covers a broad sweep of west Belfast and extends south-west beyond the city boundary. It includes Andersonstown, Ballymurphy, Beechmount, Clonard, the Falls and Falls Park areas, Shankill, Turf Lodge and Woodvale, together with Collin Glen, Poleglass, Twinbrook and Derryaghy farther out. The constituency is predominantly urban, but its physical form changes from dense inner-city neighbourhoods close to central Belfast to larger housing areas and more open land toward the south-western edge. Its boundary crosses from Belfast City Council into Lisburn and Castlereagh at Derryaghy, making the seat wider than the core west Belfast area suggested by its name.
Election data comes from UK Parliament. Turnout percentage is calculated by Project Open Gov from Parliament's turnout and electorate figures.
People and place
A population and household snapshot for Belfast West, using validated House of Commons Library constituency datasets.
Estimated population103,341
EstimateMid-2024 estimate
Region / nationNorthern Ireland
Age profile
0 to 1724.8% · 25,680 people
18 to 247.9% · 8,172 people
25 to 3413.4% · 13,887 people
35 to 4919.6% · 20,294 people
50 to 6418.6% · 19,211 people
65 and over15.6% · 16,097 people
Population figures are mid-2024 estimates from the House of Commons Library. Project Open Gov calculates the estimated population shown above by summing the six published age-band counts. View population source ↗
Home ownership and renting
Housing tenure shows how households in this constituency described their home at the most recent census.
42,929 householdsCensus 2021
Home owners48.8% · 20,937 households
Private renters12.5% · 5,363 households
Social renters34.9% · 14,997 households
Other tenure3.8% · 1,632 households
“Other tenure” combines shared ownership and households recorded as living rent free.
Housing-tenure figures come from the most recent census: 2021 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2022 in Scotland. View housing-tenure source ↗
Household composition
A broad view of household types in this constituency. Project Open Gov uses the four broad groups supplied by the Commons Library so the presentation remains consistent across the UK.
42,930 householdsCensus 2021
One-person households33.7% · 14,449 households
Families with dependent children32.4% · 13,928 households
Other single-family households29.9% · 12,822 households
Other household types4.0% · 1,731 households
Household-composition figures come from the Commons Library constituency dataset. The source uses census data and Project Open Gov displays its broad household groups rather than attempting to harmonise the detailed categories itself. View household-composition source ↗
Disability and day-to-day activities
The source records whether day-to-day activities are limited and uses separate person-level tables for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
103,177 people in the source baseCensus 2021Source comparison: Northern Ireland
Day-to-day activities limited a lot17.9% · 18,468 people
Day-to-day activities limited a little13.9% · 14,385 people
Non-disabled68.2% · 70,324 people
Comparison note: the workbook uses different source terminology across the UK: England & Wales uses “Disabled under the Equality Act”, while Scotland and Northern Ireland use “Disabled” / “Non-disabled”. Project Open Gov therefore preserves the source categories and does not present them as one single like-for-like UK legal definition.
Disability figures come from the Commons Library constituency workbook. This profile uses the person-level tables only; the workbook also contains separate household-level disability tables which are not used here. View disability source ↗
Petitions
Open UK Government and Parliament petitions that have reached at least 10,000 signatures nationally, ranked here by the number of signatures recorded in this constituency.
Petition signatures are not a poll and do not show what the constituency as a whole thinks. A person can also sign more than one petition.
Open petitionCloses 12 September 2026
Make a public animal abuser register & automatically ban ownership
Signatures in this constituency228
Signatures nationally244,689
Government response published · Debate scheduled for 29 June 2026
Signature counts come from the official UK Government and Parliament petitions data and may change while a petition remains open. Browse official petitions ↗
Funding and local projects
National Lottery grants awarded to organisations recorded in this parliamentary constituency since 4 July 2024.
The constituency is based on the recipient organisation recorded in the source data. The funded activity may sometimes take place across a wider area.
Grants recorded152
Total awarded£12,430,698
Most recent awards
National Lottery grantAwarded 23 June 2026
Youth Empowerment Project
Gort Na Mona Sports Association
£12,000
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
Gort Na Mona Sports Association - Children & Young People - Awards for All Northern Ireland
National Lottery grantAwarded 22 June 2026
Wellbeing for all
Clonard Monastery Youth Centre
£19,773
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
Clonard Monastery Youth Centre - Children & Young People - Awards for All Northern Ireland
National Lottery grantAwarded 19 June 2026
Age Well Live Well.
Upper Andersonstown Community Forum
£333,119
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
Upper Andersonstown Community Forum - Health & Wellbeing - Strengthening Communities
National Lottery grantAwarded 3 June 2026
Youth Engagement & Progression Project
Saints Youth Centre
£19,500
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
Saints Youth Centre - Children & Young People - Awards for All Northern Ireland
National Lottery grantAwarded 3 June 2026
Visible Vocal Valued
Newstart Education Centre
£19,985
The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment
About this award
Newstart Education Centre - Children & Young People - Awards for All Northern Ireland
147 more awards are available.
Source: DCMS National Lottery Grants Database. The figures shown cover awards from 4 July 2024 to 1 July 2026. View official grants data ↗
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