The aggregate data produced as outputs from censuses in the United Kingdom provide information on a wide range of demographic and socio-economic characteristics. They are predominantly a collection of aggregated, or summary counts of the numbers of people, families or households resident in specific geographical areas possessing particular characteristics drawn from the themes of population, people and places, families, ethnicity and religion, health, work, and housing.

Aggregate data for Census 2011 cover the full range of geographies employed within the census, from the smallest (output areas with an average of 150 persons in England and Wales) to the nation as a whole.

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• Census aggregate data guide

Citation: Office for National Statistics. (2019). 2011 Census: Aggregate Data. [data collection]. UK Data Service. SN: 7427, http://doi.org/10.5257/census/aggregate-2011-2

The UK censuses took place on 27 March 2011. They were run by the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency (NISRA), National Records of Scotland (NRS), and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for both England and Wales. The UK comprises the countries of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Statistics from the UK censuses help paint a picture of the nation and how we live. They provide a detailed snapshot of the population and its characteristics, and underpin funding allocation to provide public services. This is the home for all UK census data.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The UK censuses took place on 27 March 2011. They were run by the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency (NISRA), National Records of Scotland (NRS), and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for both England and Wales. The UK comprises the countries of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Statistics from the UK censuses help paint a picture of the nation and how we live. They provide a detailed snapshot of the population and its characteristics and underpin funding allocation to provide public services. This is the home for all UK census data.

The 2011 Census Microdata Individual Safeguarded Sample (Regional): England and Wales data collection forms part of the statistical outputs from the 2011 UK Census. A safeguarded microdata sample of individuals has been identified as a key Census user requirement, and was highlighted as part of a report specifying microdata products from the 2011 Census written by an expert user, Dr. Jo Wathan from the University of Manchester.

The purpose of a safeguarded sample of individuals is to be able to disseminate a detailed microdata file without onerous licensing conditions, by reducing the overall amount of detail compared to the secure samples. Whilst supplying sufficient detail on core variables to fulfil the intended aim of the microdata products, the safeguarded sample is a valuable multi-purpose research file that will be used on a wide range of projects. (For Censuses prior to 2011, these data may have been referred to as 'Samples of Anonymised Records', or SARSs.)

In total, five microdata samples are proposed from the 2011 Census:

• one public, a Teaching File of individuals (see SN 7613);
• two safeguarded, one file of individuals at regional level (this study, SN 7605) and one at local authority level (see SN 7682);
• and two secure, one file of households and one of individuals

This safeguarded sample is of 5% of the total population at Region level, and contain a similar level of detail to the equivalent End User Licence Census 2001 Microdata samples. These samples have a low risk of disclosure; but not nil. Registered UK Data Service Census users can download the data to their laptops after agreeing terms and conditions that include constraints on data management under remote storage conditions.

Further information can be found on the Office for National Statistics Census microdata webpage.

Corresponding Regional and Local Authority level data for Northern Ireland are held under SNs 7769 and 7770, and for Scotland under SNs 7834 and 7835.

Latest edition information

For the second edition (April 2025), a new version of the data file was deposited. A formatting issue with the NSSEC variable had been identified which resulted in some codes for that variable being grouped together. This has now been corrected.

Main Topics:


The variables cover: Usual address one year ago; Age of individual; Age of household; reference person; Distance travelled to work; Alternative Household Composition; Provision of unpaid care; Number of cars and vans; Central heating; Establishment caters for specific group (physical disability; learning disability; mental illness; intermediate care; substance misuse; end of life care; respite care; chronic illness care; acute illness care; older people; school children; university and/or college students; armed forces personnel; prisoners/offenders; asylum seekers; paying guests; homeless people; nurses/doctors; staff; seasonal/temporary workers; other); Country of birth; Country of birth of household reference person; Whether concealed family; Country of residence; Education selected characteristics, household indicator; Employment selected characteristics, household indicator; Health and disability selected characteristics, household indicator; Housing selected characteristics, household indicator; Deprivation indicators of a household; Long-term health problems; Family dependent children; Economically active; Employment type; Nature of establishment; Ethnic group of household reference person; Ethnic group; Family status; General health; Household language; Level of highest qualifications; Hours worked per week; Number of people in household who provide care; Other National identity (not UK and Irish); Number of individuals in household with long-standing illness/disability; Industry of business; Intention to stay in the UK; International Standard Classification of Occupations – 2 digit codes; Type of landlord; English proficiency; Living arrangements; Last year worked; Main language; Marital Status; Multiple ethnic identifier; Migration indicator; Wholly moving household indicator; Household multiple religion indicator; Distance moved from address one year ago; Region of Origin; British national...

This dataset contains gridded human population with a spatial resolution of 1 km x 1 km for the UK based on Census 2011 and Land Cover Map 2015 input data. Data on population distribution for the United Kingdom is available from statistical offices in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland and provided to the public e.g. via the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Population data is typically provided in tabular form or, based on a range of different geographical units, in file types for geographical information systems (GIS), for instance as ESRI Shapefiles. The geographical units reflect administrative boundaries at different levels of detail, from Devolved Administration to Output Areas (OA), wards or intermediate geographies. While the presentation of data on the level of these geographical units is useful for statistical purposes, accounting for spatial variability for instance of environmental determinants of public health requires a more spatially homogeneous population distribution. For this purpose, the dataset presented here combines 2011 UK Census population data on Output Area level with Land Cover Map 2015 land-use classes 'urban' and 'suburban' to create a consistent and comprehensive gridded population data product at 1 km x 1 km spatial resolution. The mapping product is based on British National Grid (OSGB36 datum). Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/0995e94d-6d42-40c1-8ed4-5090d82471e1

Estimated number of workers in each 2011 Census output area in England and Wales, processed and saved in an easy to analyse format.

Original Source: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/datasets/1300_1

This dataset provides 2011 Census estimates of the workplace population in England and Wales by residence type (household or communal resident), by sex and by age. The estimates are as at census day, 27 March 2011.

Statistics about the number and demographic characteristics of people are used to monitor differences and track how these proportions change over time.

Statistical Disclosure Control

In order to protect against disclosure of personal information from the 2011 Census, there has been swapping of records in the Census database between different geographic areas, and so some counts will be affected. In the main, the greatest effects will be at the lowest geographies, since the record swapping is targeted towards those households with unusual characteristics in small areas.

More details on the ONS Census disclosure control strategy may be found on the http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/census-data/2011-census-prospectus/new-developments-for-2011-census-results/statistical-disclosure-control/index.html[Statistical Disclosure Control] page on the ONS web site.

Distributed under Open Government License v3.0: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

This release provides the first local characteristics tables from the 2011 Census on the topics of ethnicity, identity, language and religion. Local characteristics are cross tabulations of two or more census topics that provide the greatest level of detail possible for local areas.

This dataset provides Census 2011 estimates that classify usual residents in England and Wales by long-term health problems or disabilities, sex and age. The estimates are as at Census Day, 27 March 2011. Age-standardisation allows for comparisons between populations that may contain proportions of different ages.

This file contains the National Statistics Postcode Lookup (NSPL) for the United Kingdom as at August 2022 in Comma Separated Variable (CSV) and ASCII text (TXT) formats. To download the zip file click the Download button. The NSPL relates both current and terminated postcodes to a range of current statutory geographies via ‘best-fit’ allocation from the 2011 Census Output Areas (national parks and Workplace Zones are exempt from ‘best-fit’ and use ‘exact-fit’ allocations). It supports the production of area based statistics from postcoded data. The NSPL is produced by ONS Geography, who provide geographic support to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and geographic services used by other organisations. The NSPL is issued quarterly. (File size - 188 MB).

The aim of this project was to create a synthetic dataset without using the original (secure, controlled) dataset to do so, and instead using only publicly available analytical output (i.e. output that was cleared for publication) to create the synthetic data. Such synthetic data may allow users to gain familiarity with and practise on data that is like the original before they gain access to the original data (where time in a secure setting may be limited).

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2011 and Census 2011: Synthetic Data was created without access to the original ASHE-2011 Census dataset (which is only available in a secure setting via the ONS Secure Research Service: "Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings linked to 2011 Census - England and Wales"). It was created as a teaching aid to support a training course "An Introduction to the linked ASHE-2011 Census dataset" organised by Administrative Data Research UK and the National Centre for Research Methods. The synthetic dataset contains a subset of the variables in the original dataset and was designed to reproduce the analytical output contained in the ASHE-Census 2011 Data Linkage User Guide.

The UK's contribution of census data to the United Nations project, United Nations Questionnaires on Population and Housing Census.

Background

The main population base for published statistical tables from the 2011 Census in Northern Ireland is the usual resident population base as at Census day, 27 March 2011. By way of background, for 2011 Census purposes a usual resident of the United Kingdom (UK) is anyone who, on Census day, was in the UK and had stayed or intended to stay in the UK for a period of 12 months or more, or had a permanent UK address and was outside the UK and had intended to be outside the UK for less than 12 months.

Against this background, the 2011 Census Microdata Sample of Anonymised Records (SARs) Teaching File comprises a sample of 19,862 records (approximately 1 per cent) relating to people who were usually resident in Northern Ireland at the time of the 2011 Census. For each individual, information is available for seventeen separate characteristics (for example, sex, age, marital status) to varying degrees of detail. Both the size of the sample and the content of the records in the file have been harmonised, wherever possible, with the equivalent SARs teaching file that the Office for National Statistics simultaneously released for England and Wales.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the teaching file, which comprises unit-record level data as opposed to statistical aggregates, is as an educational tool aimed at:

• encouraging wider use of Census data by facilitating another way of examining Census data, for example through the building of statistical models, over and above that already available through the raft of standard tabular output released to date;
• providing a broad insight into the sort of detail that is generally included in a SARs product, along with data formats and any associated metadata. This will enable users (arguably those less experienced at using SARs products) to ‘play’ with the data and increase their knowledge and skills in readiness for accessing the more detailed SARs products that are planned and will be available in, for example, a safe setting; and
• assisting with the teaching of statistics and geography at GCSE and higher levels.

Mid-year (30 June) estimates of the usual resident population for 2011 Census Output Areas (OAs) in the North West region of England.

THIS DATASET HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN and superseded by UK Gridded Population 2011 based on Census 2011 and Land Cover Map 2015 (https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/0995e94d-6d42-40c1-8ed4-5090d82471e1). This dataset contains gridded population with a spatial resolution of 1 km x 1 km for the UK based on Census 2011 and Land Cover Map 2007 input data. Data on population distribution for the United Kingdom is available from statistical offices in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland and provided to the public e.g. via the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Population data is typically provided in tabular form or, based on a range of different geographical units, in file types for geographical information systems (GIS), for instance as ESRI Shapefiles. The geographical units reflect administrative boundaries at different levels of detail, from Devolved Administration to Output Areas (OA), wards or intermediate geographies . While the presentation of data on the level of these geographical units is useful for statistical purposes, accounting for spatial variability for instance of environmental determinants of public health requires a more spatially homogeneous population distribution. For this purpose, the dataset presented here combines 2011 UK Census population data on Output Area level with Land Cover Map 2007 land-use classes 'urban' and 'suburban' to create a consistent and comprehensive gridded population data product at 1 km x 1 km spatial resolution. The mapping product is based on British National Grid (OSGB36 datum).

The Census 2011 Microdata Teaching File for England and Wales data collection forms part of the statistical outputs from the 2011 UK Census. The Teaching File is an open access dataset constructed from the safeguarded microdata sample of individuals (see SNs 7605 and 7682, and below for background information). Converted by the UK Data Service Census Support Service, it is an SPSS/Stata version of the spreadsheet Microdata Teaching File for England and Wales produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), drawn from data collected in the 2011 Census. The file was produced by ONS with a variables list and a user guide – all of which are considered the essential and definitive companions to the data. The original spreadsheet format Microdata Teaching File is an open government file is available from the ONS Census 2011 Microdata Teaching File webpage. More information about the teaching file and Census 2011, including forms and links to other Census data, are available both on the ONS site or via the UK Data Service Census Support webpages.


Background to Census 2011 microdata products
The safeguarded sample was identified as a key Census user requirement, highlighted as part of a report specifying microdata products from the 2011 Census written by an expert user, Dr. Jo Wathan from the University of Manchester. The purpose of a safeguarded sample of individuals is to be able to disseminate a detailed microdata file without onerous licensing conditions, by reducing the overall amount of detail compared to the secure samples. Whilst supplying sufficient detail on core variables to fulfil the intended aim of the microdata products, the safeguarded sample is a valuable multi-purpose research file that will be used on a wide range of projects. (For Censuses prior to 2011, these data may have been referred to as 'Samples of Anonymised Records', or SARSs.)

In total, five microdata samples are proposed from the 2011 Census:

• one public, a Teaching File of individuals (this study, SN 7613);
• two safeguarded, one file of individuals at regional level (see SN 7605) and one at local authority level (see SN 7682);
• and two secure, one file of households and one of individuals.

This dataset shows the population data collected for the 2011 Census mapped against Counties, Unitary Authorities, and Local Authority Districts. Fields include, total population, break down by sex, households, population in communal living, school boarders and population density for census areas. This data was sourced from the ONS website. http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/key-statistics-for-local-authorities-in-england-and-wales/index.html It has been combined with the 2011 census area boundary dataset that can also be found on the ONS website. All re-use of this data should acknowledge the OSN as the source of the data. GIS vector data. This dataset was first accessioned in the EDINA ShareGeo Open repository on 2012-12-11 and migrated to Edinburgh DataShare on 2017-02-21.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Census 2011 Microdata Teaching File for Scotland data collection forms part of the statistical outputs from the 2011 UK Census. The Teaching File is an open access dataset constructed from the safeguarded microdata sample of individuals (see SNs 7834 and 7835 for background information). Converted by the UK Data Service Census Support Service, it is an SPSS/Stata version of the spreadsheet Microdata Teaching File for Scotland produced by National Records of Scotland (NRS), drawn from data collected in the 2011 Census. The file was produced by NRS with a variables list and a user guide – all of which are considered the essential and definitive companions to the data. The original spreadsheet format Microdata Teaching File is an open government file is available from the NRS Census 2011 Microdata Teaching File webpage.

More information about the teaching file and Census 2011, including forms and links to other Census data, are available both on the NRS site or via the

This package comprises the first release of 2011 Census data. The data includes a population estimate for males and females by 5-year age bands for each local authority in England and Wales. Also included is a single-year of age estimate for males and females for England and Wales.

The data is rounded to the nearest 100.

Table H01 - Number of households with at least one usual resident, local authorities
Table M01 -Number of non-UK short-term residents by broad age group and sex, England and Wales and constituent countries
Table M02 - Number of non-UK short-term residents by sex, local authorities in England and Wales
Table P01 - Usual resident population by single year of age and sex, England and Wales
Table P02 - Usual resident population by single year of age and sex, England
Table P03 - Usual resident population by single year of age and sex, Wales
Table P04 - Usual resident population by five-year age group, local authorities in England and Wales
Table P05 - Male usual resident population by five-year age group, local authorities in England and Wales
Table P06 - Female usual resident population by five-year age group, local authorities in England and Wales
Table P07 - Number of usual residents living in households and communal establishments, local authorities in England and Wales

Also released with this data was a Quality Assurance Pack for local authorities.

Data for the Output zone associated with OAL-UK (S00091368) for Scottish Census 2011 (the latest census for which information is available). The files show data for OAL-UK compared to the whole of Scotland for the following socioeconomic criteria: population, health, education, labour and employment, ethnicity, religion, language, household composition. Scottish Census data can be explored and downloaded at: https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/

The UK censuses took place on 27 March 2011. They were run by the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency (NISRA), National Records of Scotland (NRS), and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for both England and Wales. The UK comprises the countries of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Statistics from the UK censuses help paint a picture of the nation and how we live. They provide a detailed snapshot of the population and its characteristics and underpin funding allocation to provide public services. This is the home for all UK census data.

Census flow data involve flows of individuals in the UK between origins and destinations. These flows are either the residential migrations of individuals from one place of usual residence to another, or of commuters making journeys from home to workplace or place of study.

These data are derived from the questions on the census form relating to usual place of residence one year ago, and the place of work for the respondent's main job. Flow data are currently available at a range of different spatial scales ranging from Output Areas to Local Authority Districts.

Table shows estimates of resident population by 5 year age band from the 2011 Census of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

England Wales local authorities, counties and regions, plus districts of Scotland and Northern Ireland and total UK population are included.

1) For the 2011 Census, a usual resident of the UK is anyone who, on census day 2011, was in the UK and had stayed or intended to stay in the UK for a period of 12 months or more, or had a permanent UK address and was outside the UK and intended to be outside the UK for less than 12 months.

2) The age of a person is derived from their date of birth. It is their age in years on their last birthday up to and including census day 2011. Dates of birth that imply an age over 115 are treated as invalid and the person's age is imputed.

3) Council area boundaries as at 1 April 2011.

4) Scotland figures in this table may not add exactly because they have been rounded to the nearest hundred.

5) Scotland has not published data by 5 year bands above 80, so all people aged 80+ are included in the 80-84 age group.

Sources:

Table qs103ew (England and Wales)

Table A1 (Scotland)

Table QS104NI (Northern Ireland)