Census shows ageing county population with fewer young adults than 10 years ago
Newly released Census figures have shed light on just how the population of the county of Shropshire is changing.
Early figures from the most recent Census show how not only is the population of the county increasing, but it is also increasing in age. The Census takes place every 10 years, with the latest snapshot captured on March 21, 2021.
Figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there were 82,000 people aged 65 and over living in Shropshire on census day last year – up from 63,299 in 2011, when the Census was last carried out.
For Telford & Wrekin there were 32,700 people 65 and over living in the borough – an increase from the 24,089 recorded in the last Census.
For Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin it means the proportion of over-65s living in both areas rose over the last decade – from 20.7 per cent to 25.3 per cent in Shropshire and from 14.5 per cent to 17.6 per cent in Telford & Wrekin.
The data also shows that the number of younger people in Shropshire has declined.
There were 96,900 people aged 29 and under living in Shropshire on March 21 last year, who accounted for 29.9 per cent of the population – down from 100,434 – 32.8 per cent in 2011. Of them, 30,700 under-10s called Shropshire home.
In Telford & Wrekin there were 68,300 people aged 29 and under living in Telford and Wrekin on March 21 last year, who accounted for 36.8 per cent of the population – up from 65,192 – 39.1 per cent in 2011. Of them, 22,500 under-10s called the borough home.
This trend is reflected across England and Wales as a whole, where the population is ageing. There were 11.1 million over-65s in 2021 – 18.6 per cent of the population – up from 9.2 million in 2011 – 16.4 per cent and 7.3 million – 15.0 per cent 40 years ago.
Data from the 2021 census for England and Wales will be published in stages over the next two years, the ONS said.
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.
The Census was when coronavirus restrictions were still in place across the UK, with people only allowed to leave their homes in England for recreation and exercise outdoors with their household or support bubble, or with one person outside their household, and the rule-of-six on outside gatherings not coming into place until the end of March.
It is used to understand how the UK’s population changes over time, showing the balance of men and women across the country.
In Shropshire, 49.4 per cent of the population was male and 50.6 per cent was female last year – respectively, this compares to 49.5 per cent and 50.5 per cent 10 years ago.
The City of London, with 55.8 per cent, had the highest male-to-female ratio, while Kensington and Chelsea, with 46.7 per cent, had the lowest.
