Demography
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1821 | 2,715 | — |
| 1831 | 2,842 | +4.7% |
| 1841 | 4,677 | +64.6% |
| 1851 | 4,205 | −10.1% |
| 1861 | 7,772 | +84.8% |
| 1871 | 10,632 | +36.8% |
| 1881 | 10,135 | −4.7% |
| 1891 | 11,429 | +12.8% |
| 1901 | 11,782 | +3.1% |
| 1911 | 12,553 | +6.5% |
| 1926 | 12,500 | −0.4% |
| 1937 | 13,766 | +10.1% |
| 1951 | 16,183 | +17.6% |
| 1961 | 17,872 | +10.4% |
| 1966 | 20,673 | +15.7% |
| 1971 | 25,431 | +23.0% |
| 1981 | 20,991 | −17.5% |
| 1991 | 21,905 | +4.4% |
| 2001 | 23,534 | +7.4% |
For census purposes, Lurgan is not treated as a separate entity by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). Instead, it is combined with Craigavon, Portadown and Bleary to form the "Craigavon Urban Area". A fairly accurate population count can be found by combining the data of the electoral wards that make up the Lurgan urban area. These are Church, Court, Drumnamoe, Knocknashane, Mourneview, Parklake, Taghnevan and Woodville.
On the day of the 2001 census the combined population of these wards was 23,534.
The town is divided along political/sectarian lines with entire housing areas being almost exclusively Catholic/nationalist or almost exclusively Protestant/unionist. The north end of the town centre is considered Catholic, the south end is considered Protestant, with the "invisible dividing line" crossing Market Street at Castle Lane and Carnegie Street. In the 1980s there were two Protestant enclaves in the north end of the town, Gilpinstown and Wakehurst. They have both since changed to become Catholic areas as Protestants gradually moved out.
Read more about this topic: Lurgan