Dataset population: Persons, Households

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

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 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: 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 Microdata

Microdata 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 combinations
• investigating specific combinations of variables or categories in a high level of detail
• conducting 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.

Main Topics:

The 2021 Census: Safeguarded Individual Microdata Sample at Region Level data cover: communal establishments, demography, education, ethnicity, identity, language, religion, health, disability, unpaid care, housing, internal migration, international migration, labour market, students, travel to work, Welsh language; and UK armed forces veterans.

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 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.

A census of population is held every ten years in the UK, in England and Wales it is undertaken by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in Scotland by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) and in Northern Ireland by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the latest census was taken on Sunday 21st March 2021. Due to issues around COVID-19, the census in Scotland was held a year later on 28th June 2022.

The census asks questions about you, your household and your home. In doing so, it helps to build a detailed snapshot of our society. Information from the census helps the government and local authorities to plan and fund local services, such as education, doctors' surgeries and roads.

Topics covered by the data released by the Census agencies include -

Demography and migration, UK armed forces veterans, ethnicity, national identity, language, religion, labour market, housing, sexual orientation, gender identity, education, health, disability and unpaid care.

The data in this series covers aggregate data at geographies from country level down to Output Area. Due to disclosure control (data can be blurred, changed or withheld to protect anonymity) not all datasets are available at all levels.

Main Topics:

- Accommodation and Housing

- Demography

- Health

- Identity

- Labour Market

- Language

- Ethnicity

- Education

- Disability and Unpaid Care

- Sexual Orientation

- Gender Identity

- Religion

- Armed Forces

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.

This dataset provides Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents in England and Wales by ethnic group. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.

Area type

Census 2021 statistics are published for a number of different geographies. These can be large, for example the whole of England, or small, for example an output area (OA), the lowest level of geography for which statistics are produced.

For higher levels of geography, more detailed statistics can be produced. When a lower level of geography is used, such as output areas (which have a minimum of 100 persons), the statistics produced have less detail. This is to protect the confidentiality of people and ensure that individuals or their characteristics cannot be identified.

Coverage

Census 2021 statistics are published for the whole of England and Wales. Data are also available in these geographic types:

• country - for example, Wales
• region - for example, London
• local authority - for example, Cornwall
• health area – for example, Clinical Commissioning Group
• statistical area - for example, MSOA or LSOA

Ethnic group (20 categories)

The ethnic group that the person completing the census feels they belong to. This could be based on their culture, family background, identity or physical appearance.

Respondents could choose one out of 19 tick-box response categories, including write-in response options.

Population and household characteristics by built-up area (BUA) size classification and individual BUAs, England (excluding London) and Wales, Census 2021. Data are available at a country, BUA size classification and individual BUA level.

This dataset provides Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents aged 16 years and over in England and Wales by economic activity status, by sex, and by age. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.

As Census 2021 was during a unique period of rapid change, take care when using this data for planning purposes. Read more about this quality notice.

Estimates for single year of age between ages 90 and 100+ are less reliable than other ages. Estimation and adjustment at these ages was based on the age range 90+ rather than five-year age bands. Read more about this quality notice.

Area type

Census 2021 statistics are published for a number of different geographies. These can be large, for example the whole of England, or small, for example an output area (OA), the lowest level of geography for which statistics are produced.

For higher levels of geography, more detailed statistics can be produced. When a lower level of geography is used, such as output areas (which have a minimum of 100 persons), the statistics produced have less detail. This is to protect the confidentiality of people and ensure that individuals or their characteristics cannot be identified.

Lower tier local authorities

Lower tier local authorities provide a range of local services. There are 309 lower tier local authorities in England made up of 181 non-metropolitan districts, 59 unitary authorities, 36 metropolitan districts and 33 London boroughs (including City of London). In Wales there are 22 local authorities made up of 22 unitary authorities.

Coverage

Census 2021 statistics are published for the whole of England and Wales. However, you can choose to filter areas by:

• country - for example, Wales
• region - for example, London
• local authority - for example, Cornwall
• health area – for example, Clinical Commissioning Group
• statistical area - for example, MSOA or LSOA

Economic activity status

People aged 16 years and over are economically active if, between 15 March and 21 March 2021, they were:

• in employment (an employee or self-employed)
• unemployed, but looking for work and could start within two weeks
• unemployed, but waiting to start a job that had been offered and accepted

It is a measure of whether or not a person was an active participant in the labour market during this period. Economically inactive are those aged 16 years and over who did not have a job between 15 March to 21 March 2021 and had not looked for work between 22 February to 21 March 2021 or could not start work within two weeks.

The census definition differs from International Labour Organization definition used on the Labour Force Survey, so estimates are not directly comparable.

This classification splits out full-time students from those who are not full-time students when they are employed or unemployed. It is recommended to sum these together to look at all of those in employment or unemployed, or to use the four category labour market classification, if you want to look at all those with a particular labour market status.

Sex

This is the sex recorded by the person completing the census. The options were “Female” and “Male”.

Age

A person’s age on Census Day, 21 March 2021 in England and Wales. Infants aged under 1 year are classified as 0 years of age.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The UK censuses took place on 21st April 1991. They were run by the Census Office for Northern Ireland, General Register Office for Scotland, and the Office of Population and Surveys 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.

The aggregate data produced as outputs from censuses in Great Britain 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 or households resident in specific geographical areas possessing particular characteristics.

The topics covered by the 1991 Census were virtually the same as those in the 1981 Census. However, new questions were introduced on limiting long-term illness, ethnic group, central heating and term-time address of students. Also a question on weekly hours worked was re-introduced.

The 100% Sample files include information about total population; population in private households and communal establishments; sex; age; marital status; country of birth; ethnicity; migration; employment status; economic activity; household composition; dependent children; dependant adults; long-term illness; household car availability; housing; housing tenure; housing amenities; central heating; linguistic ability (Welsh/Gaelic in Wales and Scotland respectively).

The 10% Sample files contain information about socio-economic composition; employment status; occupations; industry of occupation; hours of work; commuting; qualifications, family type; household composition; age; sex; marital status; ethnicity; housing tenure; social class.

Local Base Statistics (LBS)
The 1991 Census Local Base Statistics (LBS) have around 20,000 statistical counts (cells) contained in 99 tables and cover the complete range of topics in the 1991 Census. They form the basis of the tables to be reproduced for each county (in England and Wales) and region (in Scotland) and for each local authority district. The LBS are available down to ward level in England and Wales and postcode sector level in Scotland.

Small Area Statistics (SAS)
The 1991 Census Small Area Statistics (SAS) tables are an abbreviated version of the Local Base Statistics. They comprise around 10,000 counts for each area and are available as an abstract of some 86 tables for geographic areas down to Enumeration District level in England and Wales and Output Area level in Scotland.

Data can be accessed through CKAN (to bulk download data).

Citation: Office of Population Censuses and Surveys; General Register Office for Scotland; Registrar General for Northern Ireland (1997): 1991 Census aggregate data (Edition: 1997). UK Data Service. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5257/census/aggregate-1991-1



Main Topics:

Population bases

Age and marital status

Communal establishments

Medical and care establishments

Hotels and other establishments

Ethnic group

Country of birth

Economic position

Economic position and ethnic group

Term-time address

Persons present

Long-term illness in households

Long-term illness in communal establishments

Long-term illness and economic position

Migrants

Wholly moving households

Ethnic group of migrants

Imputed residents

Imputed households

Tenure and amenities

Car availability

Rooms and household size

Persons per room

Residents 18 and over

Visitor households

Students in households

Households: 1971/'81/'91 bases

Dependants in households

Dependants and long-term illness

Carers

Dependent children in households

Households with children aged 0 - 15

Women in couples: economic position

Economic position of household residents

Age & marital status of household residents

Earners and dependent children

Young adults

Single years of age

Headship

Lone 'parents'

Shared accommodation

Household composition and housing

Household composition and ethnic group

Household composition and long-term illness

Migrant household heads

Households with dependent children; housing

Households with pensioners; housing

Households with dependants; housing

Ethnic group; housing

Country of birth; hold heads and residents

Country of birth and ethnic group

Language indicators

Lifestages

Occupancy (Occupied; vacant; other accommodation)

Household spaces and...

Every ten years since 1801 the nation has set aside one day for the census - a count of all people and households. It is the most complete source of information about the population that we have. The latest census was held on Sunday 27 March 2011.

Every effort is made to include everyone, and that is why the census is so important. It is the only survey which provides a detailed picture of the entire population, and is unique because it covers everyone at the same time and asks the same core questions everywhere. This makes it easy to compare different parts of the country.

The information the census provides allows central and local government, health authorities and many other organisations to target their resources more effectively and to plan housing, education, health and transport services for years to come.

In England and Wales, the census is planned and carried out by the Office for National Statistics. Elsewhere in the UK, responsibility lies with the National Records of Scotland and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

All 2011 Census data for ‘Welsh’ records are defined as those: - Currently resident in Wales - With a second address in Wales - With a previous Years Address in Wales - With a term-time address in Wales - Who work in Wales (but live in England) - In Armed Forces Establishments in Wales - Who are visitors in Wales - Who are Welsh language speakers (including those who live and work outside of Wales).

The ONS have three processes for checking and resolving duplicate responses so that the main census data should simply be one record for each person:

1. The ONS resolve duplicates coming in for the same postcode using a process called Resolve Multiple Responses (RMR). For instance, if two people both fill in a form for their whole household, or someone from a household also submits an individual response unknown to the main submission. They have rules for checking they are duplicates, and rules for which to keep.

2. The ONS also do an over coverage check on a sample basis for duplicates across the rest of the country, and then factor the findings into their coverage estimation calculations. This sampling focuses on the types of population which are more likely to be duplicated (people who have indicated they have a second residence on the census, students aged 18-25, armed forces personnel, children, adults enumerated at a communal establishment, etc.) but also samples from the remaining population.

3. The ONS ask parents to fill in basic demographic information for any children who are away studying, and when they get to the question on their term-time address, if they answer that the term-time address is elsewhere, we then use that to filter those out-of-term students out of the main database. Then when that student does respond actually at their term-time address, they only include them there.

Variables RELAT06, RELAT11, RELAT16, RELAT21, RELAT26 are not available in the data

UK residents by broad country of birth and citizenship groups, broken down by UK country, local authority, unitary authority, metropolitan and London boroughs, and counties. Estimates from the Annual Population Survey.

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/censusproductsCountry of birthThis dataset provides Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents in England and Wales by their country of birth. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.Definition: The country in which a person was born. For people not born in one of in the four parts of the UK, there was an option to select "elsewhere". People who selected "elsewhere" were asked to write in the current name for their country of birth.

Office for National Statistics' national and subnational Census 2021. Schoolchildren and full-time studentsThis dataset provides Census 2021 estimates that classify all usual residents aged 5 years and over in England and Wales. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021. Schoolchild or full-time student indicator definition: Indicates whether a person aged 5 years and over was in full-time education on Census Day, 21 March 2021. This includes schoolchildren and adults in full-time education.Schoolchildren and students in full-time education studying away from home are treated as usually resident at their term-time address.Comparability with 2011: Broadly comparable.We have removed the category Schoolchild or full-time student for Census 2021 and replaced it with Student. In the 2011 Census people aged 4 years and over were asked to answer the question, in Census 2021 people aged 5 years and over were asked to answer the question. This data is issued at (BGC) Generalised (20m) boundary type for:Country - England and WalesRegion - EnglandUTLA - England and WalesLTLA - England and WalesWard - England and WalesMSOA - England and WalesLSOA - England and WalesOA - England and WalesIf you require the data at full resolution boundaries, or if you are interested in the range of statistical data that Esri UK make available in ArcGIS Online please enquire at content@esriuk.com.The data services available from this page are derived from the National Data Service. The NDS delivers thousands of open national statistical indicators for the UK as data-as-a-service. Data are sourced from major providers such as the Office for National Statistics, Public Health England and Police UK and made available for your area at standard geographies such as counties, districts and wards and census output areas. This premium service can be consumed as online web services or on-premise for use throughout the ArcGIS system.Read more about the NDS.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

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.

The 19th century censuses gathered data only on "occupations", meaning individuals' roles in the workplace, but the changing nature of work created a need for separate counts by "employer's business". The first such industry statistics resulted from the 1911 census, but the first data included here are from 1931. The 1931 data, unlike the later data, are tabulated by place of residence, as data on journeys to work were not gathered by that census.

Main Topics:

Numbers of workers in each industry, usually cross-classified by gender. The industrial classifications used change substantially over time, and by modern standards generally go into great detail about the manufacturing sector. For 1931 and 1951, one set of tables provide a detailed classification for counties and large towns and another provides a simplified classification for small towns and rural districts.

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/censusproducts

An Excel workbook containing tables of historical census data for a range of indicators dating back to 1961. Available in Excel 2003 (csv download) and Excel 2007-10 (excel download) formats.

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/censusproductsDisabilityThis dataset provides Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents in England and Wales by long-term health problems or disabilities. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.Definition: People who assessed their day-to-day activities as limited by long-term physical or mental health conditions or illnesses are considered disabled. This definition of a disabled person meets the harmonised standard for measuring disability and is in line with the Equality Act (2010).This dataset includes details for Leicester MSOAs.