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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
National
Mia O'Hare

2021 Census shows Nottingham's population grew by 5.9% in last 10 years

Nottingham's population has grown by 5.9% over the last decade according to new data revealed in the 2021 Census. It comes after England and Wales have recorded the largest ever population with 59,597,300 citizens.

In Nottingham, the Census, which was released on Tuesday, June 28, shows the population has increased from around 305,700 in 2011 to 323,700 last year. The city has seen a lower rise than the overall increase for England which has risen by 6.6%.

Nottingham's population increase is lower than the increase across the East Midlands which saw the population grow by 7.7%. In 2021, Nottingham ranked 33rd for total population out of 309 local authority areas in England, meaning it has moved up four places in a decade.

Read more: Work underway on transformation of wasteland behind Notts County's Meadow Lane stadium

As of last year, the city is the second most densely populated local authority area in the region with around 31 people living on each football pitch-sized area of land. In other words, there are 4,338 residents per square kilometre in Nottingham.

Outside of the city, Nottinghamshire has also seen a population increase over the last 10 years. The county now has a total of 824,800 residents compared to 785,800 in 2011.

A breakdown of the county's figures show Rushcliffe and Ashfield's populations have grown by around 7.1% and 5.7%, respectively. Other areas such as Gedling borough saw a smaller increase of 3.3% and Broxtowe borough's rose by 1.3%.

Nottinghamshire's population density is at 396 residents per square kilometre in 2021, with the least densely populated area in Nottinghamshire being Bassetlaw.

The largest population increases seen across the East Midlands have been in Harborough, Leicestershire where the population has grown by 14.3%. It is followed by West Northamptonshire which has seen a 13.5% increase.

At the other end of the scale, Chesterfield has seen a fall of 0.2% in their population. Leicester is the most densely populated place in the East Midlands with 5,026 residents per square kilometre.

Population age

The population age has continued to grow across the country with more people than ever aged 65 years and over. In the East Midlands, the largest age group was 45 to 49 year olds in 2011.

Last year, the largest age group in the East Midlands was people aged 50 to 54 years compared to the largest group nationally being people aged 30 to 34.

In Nottingham, there has been an increase of 6.9% in people aged 65 years and older. There has also been an increase in younger people as there has been a growth of 6.8% in children aged under 15.

Harborough in Leicestershire has seen the second largest increase in population age in the country with a growth of 38.% of people aged 65 and older.

In Nottingham in 2021, there were 2,000 people aged 90 years and over and 7,900 in that age group in Nottinghamshire. Lincolnshire was the place where more people live the longest across the region with 8,000 aged 90 and over.

Population gender

In England, there are more females than males with 28,833,500 women compared to 27,656,300 men. The figures are echoed in Nottingham which seems to confirm the urban myth that the city has more women than men.

In 2021, there were 164,700 women recorded in Nottingham compared to 159,000 men. Much is the same in Nottinghamshire where there are 420,000 females and 404,800 males.

Other areas across the East Midlands stick to this trend with Derby having 131,900 women and 129,500 men. Leicester follows suit with 186,500 females and 182,100 males.

Areas in the region when men outweigh women are Rutland with 1,100 more males than females and Charwood with just 100 more men than women.

Commenting on the numbers, the Office for National Statistics’ Deputy National Statistician Pete Benton said: “Today’s census statistics begin to paint a rich and detailed snapshot of the nation and how we were living during the pandemic. They show the population of England and Wales continued to grow across the decade, albeit at different rates across the regions.

“Ultimately, the full suite of census results, based on the information we all gave, will ensure decisions about how the billions of pounds we spend each year as a nation are made using the best possible evidence. This includes planning our emergency services, mental health care, school places, hospital beds, houses, roads, buses, trains, trams, GPs and dentists’ services.”

Pete added: “Since census day the world has continued to change. People continue to move home, some people will have left the country, others will have arrived. People will have changed jobs, some of us now work in offices once again, while others continue to work from home.

“We need to understand all of this and more. The results from Census 2021 – and there’s lots more to follow - therefore provide a key bridge from the past to the future as we deliver more frequent, relevant and timely statistics using data from across government to allow us to understand population change in local areas this year and beyond.”

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