Census 2021: Initial results show Lancaster’s population has grown over past decade - and aged

The first results of the 2021 census are in – and they show Lancaster has seen its population swell over the last decade.
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The proportion of over-65s calling the area home also rose in the last decade.

The census takes place every 10 years, with every household in the UK required to take part.

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The latest snapshot of England and Wales was captured on March 21 2021.

Lancaster has seen its population swell over the last decade.Lancaster has seen its population swell over the last decade.
Lancaster has seen its population swell over the last decade.

Now the first results have been released – and there’s been a rise in the number of people living in Lancaster.

On census day, 142,900 people were living in the area – up 3% from 138,375 in 2011, when the last census was carried out.

This also means the population density has grown to 252 usual residents per square kilometre, up from 244 in 2011.

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Figures show there were 29,300 people aged 65 and over living in Lancaster on census day last year – up from 25,365 in 2011, when the census was last carried out.

It means the proportion of over-65s living in the area rose over the last decade – from 18.3% to 20.5%.

There were 53,200 people aged 29 and under living in Lancaster on March 21 last year, who accounted for 37.2% of the population – down from 53,849 (38.9%) in 2011.

Of them, 14,100 under-10s called Lancaster home.

This trend is reflected across England and Wales as a whole, where the population is ageing.

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There were 11.1m over-65s in 2021 – 18.6% of the population – up from 9.2 million in 2011 (16.4%) and 7.3m (15.0%) 40 years ago.

The census is crucial for the UK’s statisticians to understand how our population is changing, and plays a vital role in how our public services and government operate.

It shows the balance of men and women in the area has changed – Lancaster’s population is now 48.9% male and 51.1% female, meaning there is now a higher proportion of men in the area than 10 years ago.

In 2011, people living in Lancaster were 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

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It also shows the area is aging – a decade ago the population was made up of 9.9% under-10s and 18.3% over-65s, but this had changed to 9.9% and 20.5% respectively by 2021.

Across England and Wales, the total population grew 6.3% over the past decade, from 56,075,912 in 2011 to 59,597,300 last year.

This included a 5.2% increase in the North West, where the population rose to 7,417,300 from 7,052,177 in 2011.

There were 24.8 million households in England and Wales on census day 2021, up from 23.4 million in 2011, with an average of 2.4 people in each household – the same as in 2011.

Historic populations of Lancaster:

1981: 118,589

1991: 123,856

2001: 133,917

2011: 138,375

2021: 142,900

Historic populations of the north west:

1981: 6,834,647

1991: 6,726,860

2001: 6,729,764

2011: 7,052,177

2021: 7,417,300

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Data from the 2021 census for England and Wales will be published in stages over the next two years.

Future releases will include figures on ethnicity, religion, the labour market, education and housing plus – for the first time – information on UK armed forces veterans, sexual orientation and gender identity.