Census

One population – five billion statistics

Categories: Census, ONS
An image showing a speech bubble with the name of the podcast and bubble designs around it

One year on from Census Day, and the most comprehensive quality assurance ever of census data in England and Wales is underway. This is to ensure the Office for National Statistics produces the best possible information for every local area. Here Pete Benton describes the scale of the work, puts a figure on the number of statistics he estimates will be published – and even admits to getting a reminder letter during his own data collection operation. 

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Building the richest picture of our population

Categories: Census, Data, migration, Population
A group of people next to the River Thames

Population statistics underpin a vast array of analysis, from unemployment rates to health outcomes, and are vital to decisions about all public services. Pete Benton explains how, this year, with new census outputs and more frequent statistics from new data sources, the ONS will deliver richer and more timely insights than ever before.   

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Projecting the future population of the United Kingdom at a time of uncertainty

Categories: Census, ONS, Population
An image of people walking down a street

Projecting the possible future size and composition of the UK population is of importance for national level decision-making and policy. In this blog James Robards explains some of the considerations and challenges in developing national population projections, particularly at a point in time when the demographic impacts arising from the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic continue to unfold.

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 Bridging the data gap for ethnic group and religion

Categories: Census, ONS, Population
A group of young people in London

Our population is ever-changing and having an up-to-date picture of the ethnic and religious diversity of England and Wales is crucial for policy makers and providers of public services. Previously, the official estimates of the population by ethnic group and religion were from the 2011 Census. Ahead of Census 2021 results, Sarah Coates explains how the ONS has responded to the on-going need for data on these areas by producing new, experimental statistics.

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