Protestantism is a minority Christian denominational family on the island of
Ireland. In the 2011 census of
Northern Ireland, 48% (883,768) described themselves as Protestant, which was a decline of approximately 5 rom the 2001 census. In the 2011 census of the
Republic of Ireland, 2.92% of the population described themselves as Protestant. In the Republic,
Protestantism was the second largest religious grouping until the 2002 census in which they were exceeded by those who choose "No Religion". Some forms of Protestantism may have existed in Ireland since the early 16th century. The
Church of Ireland was
established by King
Henry VIII of England.