Cohort Profile Update: The Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS)

Key Features The Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS)-a linked, administrative dataset comprising 28% of the resident population in Northern Ireland was established in 2006 to fulfill a range of academic and policy-research purposes. A further four census linkages have enabled a lifespan of >40 years for new research on health transitions, migration, social mobility, and other population trends. The most recent census linkage in 2021 comprised a total cohort of 515 930 people in the age range of 0 to 100 years. The new linkage of environmental and school datasets in addition to the latest census provides the opportunity for new topics of research including self-reported chronic health conditions, national identity and language, sexual orientation, and renewable energy.