How life has changed in Rotherham: Census 2021

The population reached nearly 270,000

Between the last two censuses (held in 2011 and 2021), the population of Rotherham increased by 3.3%, from around 257,300 in 2011 to around 265,800 in 2021.

The population here increased by a smaller percentage than the overall population of Yorkshire and The Humber (3.7%), and by a smaller percentage than the overall population of England (up 6.6% since the 2011 Census).

In 2021, Rotherham was home to around 6.6 people per football pitch-sized piece of land, compared with 6.4 in 2011. This area was close to the median population density across 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.

Population growth was lower in Rotherham than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage population change, Rotherham and surrounding areas, 2011 Census to Census 2021

Median age stable in Rotherham

The latest census data also show that the average (median) age remained 41 years in Rotherham between the last two censuses.

This area had a slightly higher average (median) age than Yorkshire and The Humber as a whole in 2021 (40 years) and a slightly higher average (median) age than England (40 years).

The median age is the age of the person in the middle of the group, meaning that one half of the group is younger than that person and the other half is older.

The number of people aged 25 to 34 years rose by around 4,700 (an increase of 15.7%), while the number of residents between 35 and 49 years fell by just under 6,000 (10.9% decrease).

The share of residents aged between 25 and 34 years increased by 1.4 percentage points between 2011 and 2021

Religion in Rotherham

In 2021, 39.8% of Rotherham residents reported having "No religion", up from 22.5% in 2011. The rise of 17.4 percentage points was the largest increase of all broad religious groups in Rotherham. Because the census question about religious affiliation is voluntary and has varying response rates, caution is needed when comparing figures between different areas or between censuses.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of residents who described themselves as having "No religion" increased from 25.9% to 39.4%, while across England the percentage increased from 24.8% to 36.7%.

In 2021, 49.0% of people in Rotherham described themselves as Christian (down from 66.5%), while 5.2% did not state their religion (down from 6.6% the decade before).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as a changing age structure or residents relocating for work or education. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals chose to self-identify between censuses. Religious affiliation is the religion with which someone connects or identifies, rather than their beliefs or religious practice.

In 2021, 39.8% of usual residents in Rotherham reported having "No religion"

More adults never married or in a civil partnership

Rotherham saw Yorkshire and The Humber's largest percentage-point rise in the proportion of people aged 16 years and over who had never been married or in a civil partnership (from 30.5% in 2011 to 36.0% in 2021).

Barnsley (from 31.5% to 36.6%) and Wakefield (from 30.9% to 36.0%) saw Yorkshire and The Humber's next largest increases in the percentage of people aged 16 years and over who had never been married or in a civil partnership.

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a rise in the percentage of people aged 16 years and over who had never been married or in a civil partnership, as the regional percentage grew from 33.9% to 37.7%.

These figures include same-sex marriages and opposite-sex civil partnerships in 2021, neither of which were legally recognised in England and Wales in 2011. Same-sex marriages have been legally recognised in England and Wales since 2014 and opposite-sex civil partnerships have been recognised since 2019.

The percentage of adults who had never married or registered a civil partnership in Rotherham increased by 5.5 percentage points

Family in Rotherham

Rotherham saw Yorkshire and The Humber's joint third-largest percentage-point rise (alongside Doncaster and Kirklees) in the proportion of lone-parent households (from 10.7% in 2011 to 11.8% in 2021).

Across the region, only Bradford (from 11.1% to 13.1%) and Calderdale (from 10.5% to 11.9%) saw a greater increase in the percentage of lone-parent households.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of lone-parent households increased from 10.4% to 11.0%, while the percentage in nearby Doncaster increased from 11.0% to 12.0%.

The percentage of households including a lone parent in Rotherham increased by 1.0 percentage points

Health in Rotherham

In 2021, 43.7% of Rotherham residents described their health as "very good", increasing from 41.8% in 2011. Those describing their health as "good" rose from 34.2% to 34.4%. These are age-standardised proportions.

Age-standardised proportions are used throughout this section. They enable comparisons between populations over time and across geographies, as they account for differences in the population size and age structure.

The proportion of Rotherham residents describing their health as "very bad" was 1.6% (similar to 2011), while those describing their health as "bad" fell from 6.2% to 5.4%.

These data reflect people’s own opinions in describing their overall health on a five point scale, from very good to very bad.

Census 2021 was conducted during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This may have influenced how people perceived and rated their health, and therefore may have affected how people chose to respond.

The percentage of people in bad health in Rotherham decreased by 0.8 percentage points

Rise in private renting

In 2021, 15.0% of Rotherham households rented privately. This figure increased from 11.3% in 2011.

In 2021, just over one in five households (20.7%) lived in socially rented housing, compared with 21.5% in 2011. The percentage of Rotherham households that owned their home (outright or with a mortgage or loan) decreased from 65.2% to 63.6%.

This area had the region’s third lowest percentage of privately-rented homes. Across the region, only Selby (13.4%) and Wakefield (14.9%) had a lower percentage of privately-rented homes.

Private renting in Rotherham increased by 3.6 percentage points

Unpaid care in Rotherham

In 2021, 4.4% of Rotherham residents (aged five years and over) reported providing up to 19 hours of unpaid care each week. This figure decreased from 7.2% in 2011. These are age-standardised proportions.

Age-standardised proportions are used throughout this section. They enable comparisons between populations over time and across geographies, as they account for differences in the population size and age structure.

In 2021, just under 1 in 40 people (2.4%) reported providing between 20 and 49 hours of unpaid care each week, compared with 2.0% in 2011. The proportion of Rotherham residents (aged five years and over) that provided at least 50 hours of weekly unpaid care decreased from 3.8% to 3.7%.

The decrease in the proportion of people (aged five years and over) providing up to 19 hours of weekly unpaid care in Rotherham (2.8 percentage points) was similar to the decrease across Yorkshire and The Humber (2.7 percentage points, from 7.1% to 4.4%). Across England, the proportion fell by 2.8 percentage points, from 7.2% to 4.4%.

Census 2021 was undertaken during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This may have influenced how people perceived and managed their provision of unpaid care, and therefore may have affected how people chose to respond.

Caution should be taken when making comparisons between 2011 and 2021 because of changes in question wording and response options.

The percentage of people (aged five years and over) providing up to 19 hours of weekly unpaid care in Rotherham decreased by 2.8 percentage points

Rotherham residents' country of birth

In the latest census, around 244,400 Rotherham residents said they were born in England. This represented 92.0% of the local population. The figure has risen from around 240,600 in 2011, which at the time represented 93.5% of Rotherham's population.

Pakistan was the next most represented, with just under 3,400 Rotherham residents reporting this country of birth (1.3%). This figure was up from just over 2,900 in 2011, which at the time represented 1.1% of the population of Rotherham.

The number of Rotherham residents born in countries that joined the EU between April 2001 and March 2011 (other than Poland, Croatia, Lithuania and Romania) rose from around 1,700 in 2011 (0.7% of the local population) to around 2,600 in 2021 (1.0%).

In 2021, 92.0% of Rotherham residents reported their country of birth as England

National identity in Rotherham

In 2021, 4.0% of Rotherham residents did not identify with any national identity associated with the UK. This figure increased from 2.9% in 2011.

In 2021, 0.7% of residents identified with a UK and non-UK national identity, compared with 0.3% in 2011. The percentage of residents in Rotherham that identified as "British only" increased from 12.9% to 58.0%.

The increase in the percentage of people who did not identify with any national identity associated with the UK was greater across Yorkshire and The Humber (1.6 percentage points, from 5.1% to 6.7%) than in Rotherham (1.1 percentage points). Across England, the percentage increased by 1.7 percentage points, from 8.2% to 10.0%.

In Census 2021, “British” was moved to the top response option and this may have influenced how people described their national identity. For further information, please see our quality report.

The percentage of people who did not identify with at least one UK national identity in Rotherham increased by 1.1 percentage points

Change in employment

Of Rotherham residents aged 16 years and over, 53.5% said they were employed (excluding full-time students) in 2021, down from 53.9% in 2011.

In 2021, just over 1 in 40 people (2.8%) said they were unemployed, compared with 4.7% in 2011. The percentage of retired Rotherham residents decreased from 24.0% to 23.9%.

The decrease in the percentage of people aged 16 years and over (excluding full-time students) who were employed was greater across Yorkshire and The Humber (1.1 percentage points, from 54.5% to 53.5%) than in Rotherham (0.4 percentage points). Across England, the percentage fell by 0.8 percentage points, from 56.5% to 55.7%.

Census 2021 took place during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a period of rapid and unparalleled change; the national lockdown, associated guidance and furlough measures will have affected the labour market and our ability to measure it.

The percentage of people aged 16 years and over who were employed (excluding full-time students) in Rotherham decreased by 0.4 percentage points

Working hours in Rotherham

In 2021, 8.5% of Rotherham residents aged 16 years and over and in employment said they worked 15 hours or less per week. This figure was the same in 2011.

In 2021, just under 1 in 10 people (9.6%) said they worked over 49 hours per week, compared with 11.2% in 2011. The percentage of adults in employment working 31 to 48 hours per week increased from 58.1% to 60.7%.

The percentage of people aged 16 years and over and in employment who said they usually worked 15 hours or less per week was 9.7% (similar to 2011) across Yorkshire and The Humber. Across England, the percentage increased from 9.7% to 10.3%.

Working hours may have been affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In 2021, 8.5% of usual residents aged 16 years and over and in employment said they worked 15 hours or less per week in Rotherham

Disability in Rotherham

In 2021, 9.9% of Rotherham residents were identified as being disabled and limited a lot. This figure decreased from 12.0% in 2011. These are age-standardised proportions.

Age-standardised proportions are used throughout this section. They enable comparisons between populations over time and across geographies, as they account for differences in the population size and age structure.

In 2021, just over one in nine people (11.4%) were identified as being disabled and limited a little, compared with 11.2% in 2011. The proportion of Rotherham residents who were not disabled increased from 76.8% to 78.8%.

This area had the region’s third highest proportion of residents who were identified as being disabled and limited a lot. Across the region, only Barnsley (10.6%) and Kingston upon Hull (10.3%) had a higher proportion of residents who were identified as being disabled and limited a lot.

Census 2021 was undertaken during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This may have influenced how people perceived their health status and activity limitations, and therefore may have affected how people chose to respond.

Caution should be taken when making comparisons between 2011 and 2021 because of changes in question wording and response options.

The percentage of people who were identified as being disabled and limited a lot in Rotherham decreased by 2.1 percentage points

Ethnic groups in Rotherham

In 2021, 5.3% of Rotherham residents identified their ethnic group within the "Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh" category, up from 4.1% in 2011. The 1.2 percentage-point change was the largest increase among high-level ethnic groups in this area.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people from the "Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh" ethnic group increased from 7.3% to 8.9%, while across England the percentage increased from 7.8% to 9.6%.

In 2021, 91.0% of people in Rotherham identified their ethnic group within the "White" category (compared with 93.6% in 2011), while 1.4% identified their ethnic group within the "Mixed or Multiple" category (compared with 1.0% the previous decade).

The percentage of people who identified their ethnic group within the "Other" category ("Arab" or "Any other ethnic group") increased from 0.5% in 2011 to 1.1% in 2021.

There are many factors that may be contributing to the changing ethnic composition of England and Wales, such as differing patterns of ageing, fertility, mortality, and migration. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals chose to self-identify between censuses.

In 2021, 5.3% of usual residents in Rotherham identified their ethnic group within the "Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh" category

About the data

Census data are adjusted to reflect estimated non-response so that the published results relate to the entire usually resident population as it was on Census Day (21 March 2021).

Those respondents who were on furlough because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic were asked to classify themselves as "temporarily away from work" to ensure they remained in the economically active population.

Students are counted as usually resident at their term-time address even if they were not physically present there on Census Day.

The questions relating to disability differed slightly between 2011 and 2021 to ensure that data were more closely aligned with the definition of disability in the Equality Act (2010). There was also a change to question wording for unpaid care, for more information read the health, disability and unpaid care quality information.

Age-standardised proportions are used throughout the health, disability and unpaid care sections. They allow for fairer comparisons between populations over time and across geographies, as they account for differences in the population size and age structure. The 2013 European Standard Population is used to standardise proportions.

Percentages and percentage point changes have been individually rounded to one decimal place. This means they may not sum exactly.

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About these articles

There is an article like this for every local authority district in England and Wales. The articles have been written and semi-automated by our data journalists and are a new publishing format for the Office for National Statistics.

Topics are chosen and ordered automatically based on how relevant they are for each area, however all data are checked before publishing.

We have not included topics that were new for Census 2021 or where there is no comparability with the 2011 Census. Read about how we developed and tested the questions for Census 2021.

These articles were first published on 8 December 2022 covering topics such as demography, country of birth, ethnic groups, religion, national identity and economic activity status. They were updated on 19 January 2023 following the release of more data from Census 2021 and now include housing tenure, general health, disability and unpaid care.

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