Business Intelligence - statistics and census information

Please tell us what you think about our website, we welcome your feedback.

Customer notice

Due to essential maintenance some of our web services will be unavailable between these times 7pm Friday 25 May and 5pm Sunday 27 May 2012.

The Census is a mandatory survey of the population distributed to all households in the country every 10 years. The results from the 2001 Census have been published and are available at a number of geographical levels. A full output prospectus of the data is available from the Office for National Statistics.

Census - history

The first 'modern' Census was undertaken in 1801 to count population and households in Britain. This was initially to monitor whether agricultural production would be able to meet the growing population of the era. The results from the nationwide Census noted that there were 10 million people and two million households at that time.

Further detailed information on the 1801 Census and the Bicentennial anniversary of the British Census can be obtained from History of Census.

The decennial survey has changed considerably over the years, from the basic head and house count through to the more complex forms we receive now.

The Census 2001 - the current context

The latest form (2001) looked to obtain information on household type, tenure, size and facilities, whilst gathering information on the age, gender, occupation, religion, health and mode of travel of the residents in the household. These forms were distributed throughout Britain and Northern Ireland with some minor regional amendment to question structure for language and religion. A copy of the original form for England can be obtained from the Government Statistics website.

The current census is a snapshot of the population and households on the night of the 29th April 2001. The results of the Census provide a valuable source of information across a broad spectrum of social issues that affect an individual's day-to-day life. The data assists national, regional and local government in identifying changes in population and social structure as well as forming the basis for future decision making. They are also used to help distribute government funds.

The 2001 Census recorded the United Kingdom population on census day (29 April 2001) as 58,789,194. The South West region totalled 4,928,343 an increase of 316,992 from the Census of 1991.

Last updated: 9 February 2012