Work leading to the Census 2031 recommendation
Since Census 2021, work has been ongoing on the future of population and migration statistics. We have included descriptions of this work in our regular quarterly updates. This work has led to the production of admin-based population estimates, and there has also been similar work on the future of long-term international migration estimates.
As part of this work, we held a public consultation. The outcomes from that consultation, along with evidence from wider engagement including the first UK Statistics Assembly, informed the decision to recommend a census in 2031 to meet users' needs.
The Recommendation
In June 2025, the UK Statistics Authority recommended that the HM Government should commission the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to deliver a questionnaire-based census of England and Wales in 2031, alongside the ongoing development of an admin-based population and migration statistics system.
In July 2025, Cabinet Office Minister Georgia Gould MP responded confirming that HM Government was commissioning the ONS to conduct a census in 2031. The census offices in Scotland (National Records of Scotland) and Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) also recommended holding a census in 2031.
Progress on Census 2031
We have started to prepare for the census in 2031, with a Census Taskforce scoping plans and building on the experience of Census 2021. We are preparing for an inclusive, digital-first census, working with devolved governments to support coherent UK outputs and maximising the benefits from our work with administrative data to date. This is in line with the UK Statistics Authority recommendation and the Minister's response.
This work has started to shape what Census 2031 will look like. In summer 2025, we held innovation events to understand areas of possible improvements that we could investigate in the next phase of preparations.
About the Census 2031 topic consultation and Government Statistical Service consultation
On 28 October 2025 we launched a topic consultation to provide evidence to support decisions about which topics should be included in the census. Alongside the topic consultation, the Government Statistical Service consulted on revisions to the harmonised standard for data collection on ethnicity.
The topic consultation is part of wide-ranging engagement that will inform the ONS's recommendations for the content of the 2031 Census for England and Wales.
Both consultations ran from the 28 October 2025 to 4 February 2026.
Thank you to everyone who took part in these consultations. We are working through a full evaluation of all the responses and have published an update on the Census 2031 topic consultation and the GSS Harmonised standards consultation.
We will publish a full report on the consultation later in 2026.