Census 2021 rounded population and household estimates for local authorities in England and Wales, by sex and five-year age group.

The Great Britain Historical Database has been assembled as part of the ongoing Great Britain Historical GIS Project. The project aims to trace the emergence of the north-south divide in Britain and to provide a synoptic view of the human geography of Britain at sub-county scales. Further information about the project is available on A Vision of Britain webpages, where users can browse the database's documentation system online.

These data were originally collected by the Censuses of Population for England and Wales, and for Scotland. They were computerised by the Great Britain Historical GIS Project and its collaborators.

Latest edition information

For the second edition (October 2022), the data and documentation have been revised.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The 2021 UK Census was the 23rd official census of the United Kingdom. The UK Census is generally conducted once every 10 years, and the 2021 censuses of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland took place on 21 March 2021. In Scotland, the decision was made to move the census to March 2022 because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The censuses were administered by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) and National Records of Scotland (NRS), respectively. In England and Wales, Census 2021 was the first census with a digital-first design, encouraging participants to respond online rather than on a paper questionnaire.Topics covered in the 2021 UK Census included:demography and migrationethnic group, national identity, language and religionlabour market and travel to workhousingeducationhealth, disability, and unpaid careWelsh and other languagesUK armed forces veteranssexual orientation and gender identity. The 2021 Census: Safeguarded Individual Microdata Sample at Region Level dataset consists of a random sample of 5% of person records from the 2021 Census. It includes records for 3,021,455 persons. These data cover England and Wales only. The lowest level of geography is country (Wales) and regions within England. The dataset contains 89 variables and a medium level of detail.Census MicrodataMicrodata are small samples of individual records from a single census from which identifying information have been removed. They contain a range of individual and household characteristics and can be used to carry out analysis not possible from standard census outputs, such as:creating tables using bespoke variable combinationsinvestigating specific combinations of variables or categories in a high level of detailconducting non-tabular statistical analyses on record-level data.The microdata samples are designed to protect the confidentiality of individuals and households. This is done by applying access controls and removing information that might directly identify a person, such as names, addresses and date of birth. Record swapping is applied to the census data used to create the microdata samples. This is a statistical disclosure control (SDC) method, which makes very small changes to the data to prevent the identification of individuals. The microdata samples use further SDC methods, such as collapsing variables and restricting detail. The samples also include records that have been edited to prevent inconsistent data and contain imputed persons, households, and data values. To protect confidentiality, imputation flags are not included in any 2021 Census microdata sample.

On 28 June 2022 ONS released the first results from the 2011 Census of England and Wales comprising for each local authority the estimated population at census day (21 March 2021) and the number of households. Population estimates are by five-year age band and sex. Estimates of responses rates for each local authority were also published. Read our blog post which describes how the census data relates to other population estimates and some of the pitfalls to avoid when interpreting the numbers.

Topics covered in the 2021 UK Census included:

• demography and migration
• ethnic group, national identity, language and religion
• labour market and travel to work
• housing
• education
• health, disability, and unpaid care
• Welsh and other languages
• UK armed forces veterans
• sexual orientation and gender identity.

The 2021 Census: Public Microdata Teaching Sample (England and Wales): 1% Sample: Open Access consists of a random sample of 1% of person records from Census 2021 for England and Wales. It includes records for 604,351 persons. This dataset is suitable for teaching of statistics and social sciences and contains 18 demographic variables and a respondent ID variable.

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.

🇬🇧 영국 English The census is undertaken by the Office for National Statistics every 10 years and gives us a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales. The most recent census took place in March of 2021.The census asks every household questions about the people who live there and the type of home they live in. In doing so, it helps to build a detailed snapshot of society. Information from the census helps the government and local authorities to plan and fund local services, such as education, doctors' surgeries and roads.Key census statistics for Leicester are published on the open data platform to make information accessible to local services, voluntary and community groups, and residents.Further information about the census and full datasets can be found on the ONS website - https://www.ons.gov.uk/census/aboutcensus/censusproductsMain languageThis dataset provides Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents in England and Wales by their main language. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.Main language is a person's first or preferred language. They may speak other languages as well. A main language is provided only for residents age 3 and above. Residents age below 3 years will appear as ‘Does not apply’. Please note that some organisations exclude those below 3 years when calculating percentages for this variable.This dataset contains information for Leicester City and England overall.

National and subnational mid-year population estimates for the UK and its constituent countries by administrative area, age and sex (including components of population change, median age and population density).

According to the 2021 Census, there were 30.4 million (51.0%) women and girls and 29.2 million (49.0%) men and boys in England and Wales.

In 2023, the population of the United Kingdom reached 68.3 million, compared with 67.6 million in 2022. The UK population has more than doubled since 1871 when just under 31.5 million lived in the UK and has grown by around 8.2 million since the start of the twenty-first century. For most of the twentieth century, the UK population steadily increased, with two noticeable drops in population occurring during World War One (1914-1918) and in World War Two (1939-1945). Demographic trends in postwar Britain After World War Two, Britain and many other countries in the Western world experienced a 'baby boom,' with a postwar peak of 1.02 million live births in 1947. Although the number of births fell between 1948 and 1955, they increased again between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s, with more than one million people born in 1964. Since 1964, however, the UK birth rate has fallen from 18.8 births per 1,000 people to a low of just 10.2 in 2020. As a result, the UK population has gotten significantly older, with the country's median age increasing from 37.9 years in 2001 to 40.7 years in 2022. What are the most populated areas of the UK? The vast majority of people in the UK live in England, which had a population of 57.7 million people in 2023. By comparison, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland had populations of 5.44 million, 3.13 million, and 1.9 million, respectively. Within England, South East England had the largest population, at over 9.38 million, followed by the UK's vast capital city of London, at 8.8 million. London is far larger than any other UK city in terms of urban agglomeration, with just four other cities; Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, and Glasgow, boasting populations that exceed one million people.

The census is undertaken by the Office for National Statistics every 10 years and gives us a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales. The most recent census took place in March of 2021.The census asks every household questions about the people who live there and the type of home they live in. In doing so, it helps to build a detailed snapshot of society. Information from the census helps the government and local authorities to plan and fund local services, such as education, doctors' surgeries and roads.Key census statistics for Leicester are published on the open data platform to make information accessible to local services, voluntary and community groups, and residents. There is also a dashboard published showcasing various datasets from the census allowing users to view data for Leicester and compare this with national statistics.Further information about the census and full datasets can be found on the ONS website - https://www.ons.gov.uk/census/aboutcensus/censusproductsMain languageThis dataset provides Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents in England and Wales by their main language. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.Main language is a person's first or preferred language. They may speak other languages as well. A main language is provided only for residents age 3 and above. Residents age below 3 years will appear as ‘Does not apply’. Please note that some organisations exclude those below 3 years when calculating percentages for this variable.This dataset contains information for Leicester City and England overall.

According to the 2021 Census, London was the most ethnically diverse region in England and Wales – 63.2% of residents identified with an ethnic minority group.

The census is undertaken by the Office for National Statistics every 10 years and gives us a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales. The most recent census took place in March of 2021.The census asks every household questions about the people who live there and the type of home they live in. In doing so, it helps to build a detailed snapshot of society. Information from the census helps the government and local authorities to plan and fund local services, such as education, doctors' surgeries and roads.Key census statistics for Leicester are published on the open data platform to make information accessible to local services, voluntary and community groups, and residents. There is also a dashboard published showcasing various datasets from the census allowing users to view data for the MSOAs of Leicester and compare this with Leicester overall statistics.Further information about the census and full datasets can be found on the ONS website - https://www.ons.gov.uk/census/aboutcensus/censusproductsMain languageThis dataset provides Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents in England and Wales by their main language. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.Main language is a person's first or preferred language. They may speak other languages as well. A main language is provided only for residents age 3 and above. Residents age below 3 years will appear as ‘Does not apply’. Please note that some organisations exclude those below 3 years when calculating percentages for this variable.This dataset contains information for the MSOAs of Leicester City.

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.

The census is undertaken by the Office for National Statistics every 10 years and gives us a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales. The most recent census took place in March of 2021.The census asks every household questions about the people who live there and the type of home they live in. In doing so, it helps to build a detailed snapshot of society. Information from the census helps the government and local authorities to plan and fund local services, such as education, doctors' surgeries and roads.Key census statistics for Leicester are published on the open data platform to make information accessible to local services, voluntary and community groups, and residents. There is also a dashboard published showcasing various datasets from the census allowing users to view data for the wards of Leicester and compare this with Leicester overall statistics.Further information about the census and full datasets can be found on the ONS website - https://www.ons.gov.uk/census/aboutcensus/censusproductsMain languageThis dataset provides Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents in England and Wales by their main language. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.Main language is a person's first or preferred language. They may speak other languages as well. A main language is provided only for residents age 3 and above. Residents age below 3 years will appear as ‘Does not apply’. Please note that some organisations exclude those below 3 years when calculating percentages for this variable.This dataset contains information for the wards of Leicester City.

Briefing paper on the initial results for Camden from the 2011 Census (PDF).