National Statistical

Once a decade, the census provides us with the unique opportunity to ask questions of the whole population of England and Wales. The information gathered from this monumental exercise is vital for the functioning of our society. But planning for a census is many years in the making. As Jason Zawadzki explains, first and foremost we need to ensure the topics we ask about reflect the needs of our users and meet the wider needs of society.

The census informs decisions about public services and helps us understand the economy, public health and inequality. It describes the make-up of the communities we live in and how they are changing over time. The high-quality anonymised statistics from a census are essential for informed policy making and accurate research.

A census in England and Wales has typically taken place every decade since 1801 and, over time, it has continually evolved to reflect the society of the day.

Census is a unique moment in time that the public get behind, as we saw in 2021. The information gathered about all our lives isn’t captured in any other way and it creates an indelible record for future generations.

While many of the core topics on age, education and the jobs people do have remained consistent over time, new topics have been added including, in 1991, one on ethnicity, and in 2021 a question asking people if they had previously served in the UK armed forces was asked for the first time.

Some are also removed, such as number of rooms in the last census, where we used Valuation Office Agency data to meet the user need.

Now we are turning our attention to 2031 and understanding what users need from a census in an age of rapid societal and technological change.

Listening to our users

Through the 2023 consultation on the future of population and migration statistics and broader engagement, including this year’s UK Statistics Assembly, it was clear the decennial census, asked of the whole population, remains of enormous value for informing the most important decisions facing our country.

We listened to user feedback and in June 2025, the UK Statistics Authority recommended holding an England and Wales census in 2031, alongside the continued development of statistics based on administrative data. Through this approach we said we would bring together data from a range of sources to better meet user needs.

Since then, the UK government has commissioned a census and work towards 2031 has begun in earnest.

As someone who worked on the hugely successful Census 2021 operation, I can tell you we’re not doing this from a standing start. Building on the success of Census 2021, the next census will be designed to provide high-quality statistics that meet user needs for the 2030s, and be a strong foundation for meeting future population statistics needs across the decade using the best available sources.

Now we need your support in helping shape Census 2031. Today we’ve launched a topic consultation to allow you to do just that.

Topic consultation

This consultation’s primary purpose is to provide evidence to support decisions about which topics should be included in the census. We will do this by prioritising the information that will provide the greatest insight and value for users, taking into account practical considerations such as the length of the questionnaire and respondent experience – ensuring it’s designed to be inclusive and accessible.

The consultation is essential because we have a legal obligation to ensure the topics we include are justified, evidence-based, and that the burden on respondents is proportionate. We’re currently reviewing around 50 sub-topics, from basic demographics and housing to newer areas like specific health conditions and disabilities.

These decisions will influence public service planning, policy development, funding allocation, and equality monitoring for years to come.

We know from speaking to users that many of the topics covered on a census remain of vital importance. For example, in a modern society more information might be needed on e-bikes and e-scooters as part of a transport to work question, or electric vehicles in the topic on number of cars and vans.

Another topic some users have expressed an interest in is the collection of data on specific impairments or type of disability, and the separation of data on physical and mental health conditions. This may encompass, for example, visual, cognitive and hearing impairments, neurodiversity, learning disability, and mobility limitations, among other conditions.

We want to hear from all users of census statistics. If you haven’t completed one of our consultations before or want to know more, join us at one of our webinars or email census2031.engagement@ons.gov.uk.

The consultation will run until February 4, 2026.

A devolved focus

We will continue to work closely with Welsh Government on the delivery of the census in Wales.

As in the past, it is proposed there will be separate censuses in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and they have their own topic consultations. Each jurisdiction will design its own questionnaires to meet local user needs, but will also work together to align where possible in the interests of coherence across the UK.

We are working with National Records Scotland (NRS) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) to align approaches, which may include a shared data-collection platform. Where possible, the census of England and Wales will support the harmonisation of UK outputs, while recognising differing contexts, characteristics, user needs and operational requirements across the UK.

A new harmonised standard

Alongside this topic consultation, the Government Statistical Service is consulting on the harmonised standard for data collection on ethnicity. We expect the relevant census question to align to this standard in England and Wales. The purpose of the consultation on the ethnicity harmonised standard is to gather views on additional tick-box response options which may be required for the new standard, informing new guidance for data collection across a range of sources and modes. It therefore has a different scope and questionnaire from the census topic consultation.

Both consultations will inform the way data on ethnic group are collected in the England and Wales census in 2031 and I would encourage the users of data about ethnic group to complete both consultations.

More information can be found on the related ethnicity harmonisation consultation page, which also closes on February 4, 2026.

Looking ahead

Further research, engagement and consultation will take place in the coming years to support the development of questions and the questionnaire design for the census, and to inform the production of census outputs.

If you are interested in hearing more about our on-going plans for Census 2031 contact census2031.engagement@ons.gov.uk.