Census gives insights into characteristics of the North West’s population

Census gives insights into characteristics of the North West’s population
Statistics published today from the 2011 Census reveal the changing characteristics of the population in every region of England and Wales and the 348 local authorities that form them. These statistics cover topics such as ethnicity, religion, country of birth, health, accommodation, tenure, and availability of cars and vans. Further details are given in the Statistical Bulletin and accompanying tables.

This release supplements the figures published in July 2012, which put the total population of England and Wales on census day (27 March 2011) at 56.1 million – an increase of 3.7 million (7 per cent) since 2001.

There were 7.1 million residents in the North West. This was an increase of some 279,000 (4 per cent) since 2001, and represents 13 per cent of the population of England and Wales.

The median age of the region was 39, the same as the England and Wales average. Within the region this ranged from 29 in Manchester (joint fourth lowest in England and Wales, with Oxford) to 48 in South Lakeland.

The North West is a diverse region with both large urban areas (Manchester) and rural areas such as the Lake District. Because of this diversity although some local authorities may show up as being of particular interest for certain topics the region itself may not share the same characteristics, for example, the North West is the most densely populated region after London however the least densely populated local authority in England and Wales is in the North West: Eden.

Guy Goodwin, ONS Director of Census said:  “These statistics paint a picture of society and help us all plan for the future using accurate information at a local level.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg of census statistics. Further rich layers of vital information will be revealed as we publish more detailed data at a very local level over the coming months.”

Some headline facts of life in the North West are:

Religion

There was a decrease of 11 percentage points in the proportion of people in the North West who stated their religious affiliation as ‘Christian’ as in most regions in England and Wales between 2001 and 2011. In 2011, 67 per cent of residents in this region were Christian.

The North West had the lowest proportion of people who said they had ‘No religion’ (20 per cent). This has increased by 10 percentage points since 2001

The 10 local authorities with the largest proportion of Christians in England and Wales were all in the North West, the highest being Knowsley at 81 per cent.

Outside London the local authority with the largest proportion of Muslims was in the North West : Blackburn with Darwen at 27 per cent (40,000 people).


Qualifications

Three of the top five local authorities in England and Wales with the highest proportion of people with an apprenticeship were in the North West: Barrow-in-Furness, Copeland, and South Ribble. Barrow-in-Furness had the highest proportion of people with an apprenticeship as their highest qualification (nine per cent).


Ethnicity

The North West had 90 per cent of its population stating their ethnicity as ‘White’.

Of all local authorities across England and Wales, Eden and Allerdale had the highest proportion of people identifying themselves as ‘White’ (both at 99 per cent).

The local authority with the second highest proportion of ‘White: English/Wales/Scottish/Northern Irish/British’ is Allerdale (98 per cent), after Redcar and Cleveland in the North East.

The North West has the second highest proportion of Chinese after London, although the number is relatively small (one per cent, 48,000). Manchester is ranked seventh highest of all local authorities in England and Wales for residents declaring themselves as ‘Chinese’ (three per cent).Pendle is ranked third highest of local authorities in England and Wales of people declaring themselves as ‘Pakistani’ (17 per cent). Blackburn with Darwen is ranked sixth (12 per cent).

Oldham is ranked third highest of all local authorities in England and Wales of people declaring themselves ‘Bangladeshi’ (seven per cent).

Country of birth

In 2011 there were 577,000 foreign-born residents in the North West, eight per cent of the resident population. Manchester had the highest proportion of foreign-born usual residents, with 25 per cent.

Of the 20 local authorities with the lowest proportion of foreign-born residents, six were in the North West: Knowsley, Allerdale, Halton, St Helens, Copeland, and Barrow in Furness - all with less than 3 per cent of their usual residents born outside the UK.

Health and provision of unpaid care

The North West had 19 per cent of people who said their day to day activities were limited by a long term health problem or disability. This region had 10 per cent of people who provided unpaid care for someone with an illness or disability (10 per cent for England and Wales as a whole).