South Staffordshire is the region with the highest growth rate of over 65 years. In March 2021, the elderly accounted for 25.2% of the population, compared to 10.1% in 1981. Tower Hamlets, meanwhile, has seen the young adult population (15 to 34 years old) grow more than in 1981, rising from 32.1% to 43.7%. Data released by the National Statistics Office (ONS) also show that the average percentage of people over the age of 65 has increased by 3.6 percentage points in the last 40 years. However, the proportion of young adults across England and Wales has fallen by 5% since 1981. See how your area has changed with the following tool: Every 10 years, the census is conducted by the ONS in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland publish their data separately. It has evolved over time to keep up with changes in society, but the ONS says it still allows historical comparisons of broad trends in the population. Provides the most accurate estimate of all people and households in the country. Professor Jane Falkingham, director of the Center for Population Change at the University of Southampton, said: “The census is really important for all local authorities. “Partly to be able to plan their services, but also because central government funding is based on the census and the age and gender structure of the population. “If it’s wrong and you have a large number of people living in your area who have not been counted, you are not going to get the central government grants at the right level for you.” The proportion of people over the age of 80 in England and Wales has risen by 2.2 percentage points in the last 40 years, from 2.7% in 1981 to 5% in the most recent census. “These age groups are where you really start to have a very high correlation between age and the need for social care,” Professor Falkingham explained. “You have healthy 65-year-olds moving to places because it’s a nice place to retire, but local authorities need to plan for future demand for services in twenty years.” South Staffordshire is the area with the highest growth rate in the over 80s. In March 2021, the elderly accounted for 6.9% of the population, compared to 1.6% in 1981. A South Staffordshire Council spokesman said: “We have a population who choose to stay in the area because of the low crime rate and attractive rural villages, which make the area a desirable, attractive place to live. “The South Staffordshire Council has always worked closely with partners to ensure that any growing service requirements between the local government and other key service providers are coordinated where possible.” Smaller age groups When it comes to resource allocation, it is also important to know how many are younger. “Schools and housing are the most important thing when it comes to younger age groups,” said Professor Falkingham. “It did not happen recently, but there was a big scandal in Lewisham about 15 years ago, where they did not have enough school places for five-year-olds because the data they were using did not record all the in and out movements. municipality’s. “The census gives us this really important moment – now we know how many four-year-olds live in a local authority. So next year, there is no excuse for any local authority not to have enough school places.” Conducting the census in a pandemic The 2021 census came at a time when coronavirus restrictions were still in place throughout the United Kingdom. However, the ONS says it has taken quality control measures to take account of changes in living conditions across the country. “During the census period, the ONS makes local population estimates based on other measures and then tries to look for areas where there is a large discrepancy compared to what they would expect,” Professor Falkingham explained. “There are only four of these places where the population was much smaller than expected – Westminster is one of them. “It is the case that people who have second homes may have completed the inventory from where they are. There is a question about second homes, but it is on another page, so it depends on how exhausted people are from completing the first page format. “But, in general, it is quite high quality and the data probably reflect that people in these areas of central London have moved to the suburbs and beyond.” Tuesday’s data is the first of multiple census data to be released over the next two years. Highlights for Northern Ireland show a 5% increase in population to 1.9 million in 2021. The Scottish census will not be published until next year. The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skill unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We collect, analyze and visualize data to tell data-based stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite imagery, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world, while showing how our journalism is done.
