Population

Building the richest picture of our 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

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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Working to improve housing, planning and homelessness statistics across the UK

House building in Bristol

High quality housing, planning and homelessness statistics are key areas of focus for governments across the four nations of the UK and their citizens. There is a need for a greater understanding of housing affordability, levels of homelessness and housing stock. Debra Prestwood explains the continuing collaboration the ONS is leading across the Government Statistical Service (GSS) to improve statistics in these areas.

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 Bridging the data gap for ethnic group and religion

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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