population density

The city's population density is more than 7,100 people per square kilometre of land, on par with packed metropolises like Tokyo.

Retained firefighters - predominantly based in rural areas with a lower population density than bigger cities - are on-call emergency responders who live near their local fire station and jump in an appliance when needed.

Census figures from 2021 show that population density in the area around Clonavon Terrace was approximately 51 times the Northern Ireland average, and four times the average for Ballymena as a whole.

The team also identified hotspots in areas with higher population density, greater homelessness and more overcrowding.

“But over time, those natural enemies or pathogens appear, and their population density decreases.”