The population of England and Wales grew by 6.3 per cent over ten years to reach 59.6 million, according to the first results from the 2021 census published by the Office for National Statistics on 28 June 2022.
The census was held on 21 March 2021. It counted 59,597,300 usual residents across the two nations: 56,489,800 in England and 3,107,500 in Wales. The increase of around 3.5 million people since 2011 is smaller than the 7.8 per cent growth recorded between 2001 and 2011.
Where people live
The South East remains the most populous region of England with about 9.3 million people, followed by London with 8.8 million. The North East has the smallest population at about 2.6 million.
The East of England grew fastest, by 8.3 per cent, from 5.8 million to 6.3 million. London’s population went up by 7.7 per cent. The ONS noted that some local changes may reflect where people chose to stay during the pandemic on census day, and that those moves may have been temporary for some.
An older population
Almost one in five people in England and Wales is now aged 65 or over, up from 16.4 per cent in 2011. Women make up 51 per cent of the population and men 49 per cent.
A record online count
More than 24 million households took part, and 89 per cent of responses were submitted online, the highest share so far. Separate results for Northern Ireland, published in May 2022, put its population at a record 1,903,100, up 5 per cent on 2011. Scotland moved its census to 2022.
Census figures are used by government, councils, health services and businesses to plan schools, hospitals, housing and transport. The ONS said further results would follow over the next two years, including data on ethnicity, religion, work, education and housing, as well as the first census figures on armed forces veterans, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Sources: Office for National Statistics, first results of Census 2021 for England and Wales (28 June 2022); Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.