The population reached nearly 330,000
Between the last two censuses (held in 2011 and 2021), the population of Wigan increased by 3.6%, from just over 317,800 in 2011 to around 329,300 in 2021.
The population here increased by a smaller percentage than the overall population of the North West (5.2%), and by a smaller percentage than the overall population of England (up 6.6% since the 2011 Census).
In 2021, Wigan was home to around 12.5 people per football pitch-sized piece of land, compared with 12.1 in 2011. This area was among the top 35% most densely populated English local authority areas at the last census.
This article generally uses percentages to enable comparisons over time and between areas. The percentage point change is also used to show the difference between the 2011 and 2021 percentages.