Migration Region (outflow) variable: Census 2021

Definition of migration region (outflow), categories, and changes since the 2011 Census for use with research and analysis using Census 2021 data.

Last updated:
28 November 2023

Mnemonic: migration_region_outflow
Applicability: Person
Type: Derived variable

Definition

Identifies usual residents who moved out of the area but within the "associated area" and those who have moved out of the "associated area" but within England and Wales, in the one-year period before the census. “Area” defines the geographical level being shown in the table. “Associated area” refers to the next highest level of geography up the hierarchy. This does not count all people who moved out of an area as it does not include people who moved outside England and Wales.

Classification

Total number of categories: 3

Code Name
1 Outflow: moved out of the area, but within the associated area
2 Outflow: moved out of the associated area, but within England and Wales
-8 Does not apply*

*Students and schoolchildren living away during term-time, short-term migrants and children aged under 1 year.

Background

Read about how we developed and tested the questions for Census 2021.

Comparability with the 2011 Census

Not comparable

Census 2021 does not record moves of those aged under 1 year on Census Day (21 March 2021) as they do not have an address one year ago. An estimate was made for these moves in 2011, but this has not been done for 2021.

We had combined UK internal migration data for 2011, in comparison with 2021 for which we did not. We do not have data for Northern Ireland (due to differences in data processing schedules) or Scotland (due to Scotland holding their Census in March 2022). This means outflow counts exclude people who lived in England and Wales the year before Census 2021 but had moved to Northern Ireland, and Scotland, before 21 March 2021.

What does not comparable mean?

A variable that is not comparable means that it cannot be compared with a variable from the 2011 Census.

England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland comparisons

Find out more about variables produced for Census 2021 in Northern Ireland and Census 2022 in Scotland.

Census 2021 data that uses this variable