This bulletin looks at the demography and migration topic summary data from the 2021 Census for England and Wales that was published on 2 November 2022 by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides unrounded population and household estimates at North Wales and unitary authority level, including characteristics of households and residents, and an overview of the non-UK born population.
Main points
- The population structure in North Wales is significantly older than the national average, with a median age of 46 in 2021 (Wales = 42; England and Wales = 40). Conwy County Borough has the oldest median age (49) and Wrexham the youngest (42).
- Average household size as decreased since 2011. About two thirds of all households contain only one or two people. The proportion of households containing five or more people has decreased.
- The proportion of households made up of only pensioners increased to 27.1%, which is high compared to national figures (Wales in 2021 = 24.8% and England and Wales = 22.1%). Pensioners living alone made up the majority of these households (47,676 or 15.8% of all households). Conwy County Borough had the second highest percentage of pensioner-only households in Wales in 2021.
- The proportion of households containing dependent children in 2021 was lower in North Wales than the national average (North Wales = 24.0%; Wales = 26.5%; England and Wales = 28.4%). The number and proportion of households containing dependent children has decreased since 2011 for all North Wales unitary authority areas. However, the number and proportion of lone parent families has increased.
- The proportion of usual residents born outside the UK increased between 2011 and 2021 from 4.5 to 5.8%. This proportion is low when compared to national figures (England and Wales = 16.8%). The proportion was highest in Wrexham at 7.9% and lowest in Anglesey at 3.3%.
- For North Wales as a whole, Poland remained the most common country of birth outside the UK in 2021 (7,423 people, 1.1% of all usual residents). Poland was also the most common result for Wrexham, Flintshire and Gwynedd. In Conwy County Borough and Anglesey it was Ireland, and for Denbighshire it was the Philippines.
See also
- 2021 Census: first results
- 2021 Census: UK armed forces veterans
- 2021 Census: ethnic group
- 2021 Census: religion
- 2021 Census: main language
- 2021 Census: education
- 2021 Census: sexual orientation and gender identity
The ONS has also published Demography and migration: Census 2021 in England and Wales which includes some data down to output area.
Contact us
North Wales Regional Innovation Coordination Hub
Email: nwrich@denbighshire.gov.uk
Phone: 01824 712432
