FOI reference: FOI-2026-3588
You asked
Please provide the total population in Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales broken down nationality and religion and for Scotland a further breakdown on council area.
We said
Thank you for your email regarding population data for England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
We are responsible for the census for England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland carry out their own census.
We have produced some UK datasets based on Census 2021 totals for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, added to estimated equivalent values derived from Scotland’s Census 2022. Please see our Census-based statistics webpage, which provides available UK data. The tables you require within the data download are named:
Table 01: UK01 - Sex by age, United Kingdom
Table 05: UK05 - Country of birth by sex by age, United Kingdom
Table 07: UK07 - Religion by sex by age, United Kingdom
We do not provide nationality data at UK level. We do hold nationality data for England and Wales in our 2021 Census Dataset - National identity (detailed) - England and Wales.
Although the UK censuses historically take place on the same day, they are run separately by each national statistics office: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), National Records of Scotland (NRS), and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for both England and Wales.
For nationality data for Scotland and Northern Ireland, please contact NRS and NISRA, respectively.
National Records of Scotland
Tel: 0131 314 4299
Email: statisticscustomerservices@nrscotland.gov.uk
Website: www.nrscotland.gov.uk
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
Tel: 02890 255156
Email: census@nisra.gov.uk
Website: http://www.nisra.gov.uk/census
If you need anything further, please email census.customerservices@ons.gov.uk.