Population change (%) of local authority areas in Yorkshire and the Humber between 2011 and 2021 between 2011 and 2021 between 2011 and 2021 between 2011 and 2021

Percentage growth
-20
-6
-3
-1
+3
+7
+13
+23%
England and Wales Average +5.0%


How the population changed in Sunderland: Census 2021

28 June 2022



The population of England and Wales has increased by more than 3.5 million in the 10 years leading up to Census 2021. Using the first results from this census, we look at which places have seen the biggest increases and decreases, which areas had the largest growth in different age groups, and how local authority areas like Sunderland compare with others.


Sunderland

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The population of England and Wales is the largest ever recorded


There were 59,597,300 people living in England and Wales on 21 March 2021, the day of the latest census. This is over 3.5 million more (6.3%) than in 2011 and is the largest census population ever recorded.


Population change (%) in English regions and Wales between 2011 and 2021

Percentage growth
0
+3
+6
+8
+10%

The English region with the largest population increase was the East of England, which grew by around 8.3% or 488,000 more residents. The English region with the smallest increase was the North East, growing by 1.9% or around 50,000 people. In Wales, the population grew by 1.4% or 44,000 people.

A map shows the English regions and Wales.

In Sunderland, the population size has decreased by 0.5%, from around 275,500 in 2011 to 274,200 in 2021. The total population of England grew by 6.6%, increasing by nearly 3.5 million to 56,489,800.

A map of local authority areas in England is coloured to indicate the percentage change in population of each area. The data used in this article are available to download at the end.

Nearby areas like North Tyneside and County Durham have seen their populations increase by around 4.1% and 1.7%, respectively, while others such as Gateshead and South Tyneside have seen decreases of 2.1% and 0.2%, respectively.

The map then zooms to centre on Sunderland and show neighbouring areas.

The largest population increases in the North East have been seen in Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside, where the populations have grown by 7.1% and 4.1%, respectively.

The map zooms out to show the percentage change in population size in all local authority areas in the North East

At the other end of the scale, Gateshead has seen a fall of 2.1%.

The local authority areas displayed on the map change form and position to create a bar chart that orders selected areas of the North East by percentage change in total population.

This is the opposite of the regional trend for the North East, where the population increased by 1.9%.

Sunderland is highlighted on the bar chart along with other local authority areas in the North East.

Tower Hamlets saw the largest percentage growth in population in England, increasing 22.1% between 2011 and 2021. Dartford was second, increasing 20.0%.

Every local authority area of England is shown as a dot on a chart, with the legend running from the largest percentage decrease to the highest percentage increase in population. Sunderland is highlighted.

Some local authority areas have seen their populations decline. Kensington and Chelsea had an estimated population of 143,400 in 2021, which was around 15,200 fewer than in 2011 and a decrease of 9.6%.

The chart continues to show all areas of England as dots, ordered by the percentage change in total population, with the largest decreases towards the left and the largest increases towards the right.

The total population of local authority areas varies a lot, from Birmingham with around 1,144,900 people to the Isles of Scilly with around 2,100 people. The sizes of these circles are proportionate to the size of the population in each local authority area.

The chart changes into circles located at the centre of each local authority area on a map. The area of each circle indicates the total population.

How different local authority areas rank for population size



In 2021, Sunderland ranked 58th for total population out of 309 local authority areas in England, which is a fall of 12 places in a decade.

Population rank of Sunderland at the time of the 2011 and 2021 Censuses

Rank of local authority areas for population size in England

Sunderland ranked 58 for population in 2021. A fall of 12 places since 2011.

A chart shows the population rankings of local authority areas for total population size in England in 2011 and 2021.

There are three people for every football pitch-sized piece of land in England



There were 434 residents per square kilometre in England in 2021, up from 407 per square kilometre in 2011. Population density varies from area to area. We can see the difference between local authority areas if we measure the land in football pitches and work out how many people there would be on each one.

As of 2021, Sunderland is the fifth most densely populated of the North East's 12 local authority areas, with around 14 people living on each football pitch-sized area of land.

A drawing of a football pitch is displayed. The number of people on the pitch, or the number of pitches for one person, changes as described in the text content.

Tower Hamlets in London has become the most densely populated local authority area in England (overtaking Islington) with the equivalent of around 112 people per pitch.

At the other end of the population density scale for England, the amount of land in Eden in Cumbria works out at around five pitches per resident.

There were more people than ever aged 65 years and over in England



The population has continued to age. Across England, more than one in six people (18.4%) were aged 65 years and over on Census Day in 2021. This is a higher percentage than ever before.


The age and sex distribution of the population of the North East in 2011

This population pyramid shows the population of males and females in each five-year age group at the time of the 2011 Census.
The largest age group in the North East back then was those aged 45 to 49 years.

A population pyramid is displayed. It shows males and females in each age group as a percentage of the total population for Sunderland in 2011. The age group with the largest number of people is highlighted.

More recently, in 2021, the largest age group in the North East was those aged 55 to 59 years.

A population pyramid is displayed. It shows the number males and females in each age group as a percentage of the total population for the North East in 2021. The age group with the largest number of people is highlighted.

In England, the largest age group in 2021 was people aged 30 to 34 years.

The population pyramid changes to show the number of males and females in each age group as a percentage of the total population in England. The age group with the largest number of people is highlighted.

Overall, in England, there has been an increase of 20.1% in people aged 65 years and over, an increase of 3.6% in people aged 15 to 64 years, and an increase of 5.0% in children aged under 15 years.

The population pyramid turns into a horizontal bar chart, with bars representing the percentage change in the number of people of any sex in each five-year age group in England.

This is how Sunderland compares. There has been an increase of 20.1% in people aged 65 years and over, a decrease of 6.1% in people aged 15 to 64 years, and an increase of 0.3% in children aged under 15 years.

The horizontal bar chart now shows the percentage change in the number of people of any sex in each five-year age group in Sunderland.


The population change in different age groups varies across England



In 32 of the 309 local authority areas of England, the total number of people aged 65 years and over increased by 30.0% or more between 2011 and 2021. This compares with a 20.1% rise across England.


Local authority areas in England that have seen an increase of 30% or more in those aged 65 years and over, 2011 to 2021

The places that have seen the largest increases in the population aged 65 years and over are Milton Keynes in the South East, which has seen 43.6% growth, and Harborough in the East Midlands (38.5%).

A map of England appears, highlighting the areas with the largest increases in people aged 65 years and over.

The places that have seen the largest increases in the population aged under 15 years are Dartford in Kent, where the size of this age group increased by 31.8% between 2011 and 2021, and Peterborough in the East of England (23.8%).

The map now highlights the areas with the largest increases in children aged under 15 years.

The places that have seen the largest percentage decrease in the number of children aged under 15 years are Westminster (19.4%) and Kensington and Chelsea (17.8%) in London and Richmondshire in Yorkshire (12.3%).

The map now highlights the areas with the largest decreases in children aged under 15 years.

Other versions of this article


Notes

Population change in certain areas may reflect how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic affected people's choice of usual residence on Census Day, for example, students and in some urban areas.

These changes might have been temporary for some and more long-lasting for others.

First results from Census 2021 are rounded to the nearest 100 so may not add exactly.

Changes over time have been calculated with rounded estimates for Census 2021 and unrounded estimates from the 2011 Census.

Related links

Contact

census.customerservices@ons.gov.uk
Telephone: +44 1329 44 4972