Census 2021

The ONS has published the next phase of Census 2021 outputs for England and Wales (see the high level summary below). As with previous releases interactive Census Maps are available on the ONS website to visualise and explore Census 2021 data for different topics down to a local authority and neighbourhood level. The following high level summary on changes from the 2011 Census was generated by ONS

How life has changed in Central Bedfordshire from Census 2011 to Census 2021

Population

Central Bedfordshire’s population increased by around 39,900 between the last two censuses (held in 2011 and 2021), an increase of 15.7%, from just under 254,400 in 2011 to around 294,300 in 2021.

The population here increased by a greater percentage than the overall population of the East of England (8.3%), and by a greater percentage than the overall population of England (up 6.6% since the 2011 Census).

Median age in Central Bedfordshire

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. Between the last two censuses, the average (median) age of Central Bedfordshire increased by one year, from 40 to 41 years of age.

This was similar to the average (median) age to the East of England as a whole in 2021 (41 years) but a slightly higher average (median) age than England (40 years).

The number of people aged 50 to 64 years rose by just over 9,600 (an increase of 19.2%), while the number of residents between 16 and 19 years fell by around 550 (4.5% decrease).

Residents’ country of birth

In the latest census, around 254,700 Central Bedfordshire residents said they were born in England. This represented 86.6% of the local population. The figure has risen from just under 226,400 in 2011, which at the time represented 89.0% of Central Bedfordshire’s population.

Scotland was the next most represented, with just under 3,800 Central Bedfordshire residents reporting this country of birth (1.3%). This figure was down from just over 4,200 in 2011, which at the time represented 1.7% of the population of Central Bedfordshire.

For people born outside of the UK the largest resident group was from people born in Poland. The number of Central Bedfordshire residents born in Poland rose from around 1,500 in 2011 (0.6% of the local population) to just over 3,600 in 2021 (1.2%).

The top five for Central Bedfordshire in terms of country of birth outside of the UK in 2021 were:

Poland – 3,1619 people – 1.23%
Romania – 3,438 people – 1.7%
Ireland – 2.217 people – 0.75%
India 2,066 people – 0.70%
South Africa – 1,327 people – 0.45%

Rise in private renting

In 2021, 13.7% of Central Bedfordshire households rented privately. This figure increased from 12.1% in 2011.

The increase in the percentage of privately-rented homes was greater across the East of England (3.5 percentage points, from 14.7% to 18.2%) than in Central Bedfordshire (1.6 percentage points). Across England, the percentage increased by 3.6 percentage points, from 16.8% to 20.5%.

Unpaid care

In 2021, 4.7% of Central Bedfordshire residents (aged five years and over) reported providing up to 19 hours of unpaid care each week. This figure decreased from 7.6% 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, 1.5% of residents (aged five years and over) reported providing between 20 and 49 hours of unpaid care each week, compared with 1.1% in 2011. The proportion of Central Bedfordshire residents (aged five years and over) that provided at least 50 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 2.2% to 2.4%.

The decrease in the proportion of people (aged five years and over) providing up to 19 hours of weekly unpaid care in Central Bedfordshire (2.9 percentage points) was similar to the decrease across the East of England (2.8 percentage points, from 7.3% to 4.5%). 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

Religion

In 2021, 42.8% of Central Bedfordshire residents reported having “No religion”, up from 28.4% in 2011. The rise of 14.4 percentage points was the largest increase of all broad religious groups in Central Bedfordshire.

Across the East of England, the percentage of residents who described themselves as having “No religion” increased from 27.9% to 40.2%, while across England the percentage increased from 24.8% to 36.7%.

In 2021, 47.9% of people in Central Bedfordshire described themselves as Christian (down from 62.2%), while 5.4% did not state their religion (down from 6.8% the decade before).

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. 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.

Family structure

In 2021, 7.1% of Central Bedfordshire households included a couple with only non-dependent children. This figure was at a similar level in 2011 (7.3%).

In 2021, just under one in four households (22.8%) included a couple with dependent children, compared with 23.1% in 2011. The percentage of single-family households including a couple without children decreased from 20.5% to 19.0%.

Central Bedfordshire saw the East of England’s joint largest fall (alongside Castle Point, Chelmsford and Great Yarmouth) in the percentage of households including a couple with only non-dependent children.

Perception of health

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

In 2021, 49.4% of Central Bedfordshire residents described their health as “very good”, increasing from 47.2% in 2011. Those describing their health as “good” fell from 36.0% to 34.9%. These are age-standardised proportions.

The proportion of Central Bedfordshire residents describing their health as “very bad” remained 0.9%, while those describing their health as “bad” was 3.1% (similar to 2011).

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.

National identity

In 2021, 6.4% of Central Bedfordshire residents did not identify with any national identity associated with the UK. This figure increased from 4.6% in 2011.

In 2021, 1.5% of residents identified with a UK and non-UK national identity, compared with 0.6% in 2011. The percentage of residents in Central Bedfordshire that identified as “British only” increased from 15.3% to 55.3%.

The increase in the percentage of people who did not identify with any national identity associated with the UK was greater across the East of England (2.1 percentage points, from 6.9% to 9.0%) than in Central Bedfordshire (1.8 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 the ONS quality report.

More adults never married or in a civil partnership

Of Central Bedfordshire residents aged 16 years and over, 33.3% said they had never been married or in a civil partnership in 2021, up from 29.2% in 2011.

In 2021, just under one in two people (49.5%) said they were married or in a registered civil partnership, compared with 52.7% in 2011. The percentage of adults in Central Bedfordshire that had divorced or dissolved a civil partnership increased from 9.1% to 9.3%.

The increase in the percentage of people aged 16 years and over who had never been married or in a civil partnership was greater in Central Bedfordshire (4.1 percentage points) than across the East of England (3.7 percentage points, from 31.1% to 34.8%). Across England, the percentage increased by 3.3 percentage points, from 34.6% to 37.9%.

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.

Change in employment

Of Central Bedfordshire residents aged 16 years and over, 62.4% said they were employed (excluding full-time students) in 2021, down from 62.8% in 2011.

In 2021, just over 1 in 50 people (2.2%) said they were unemployed, compared with 3.2% in 2011. The percentage of retired Central Bedfordshire residents increased from 20.4% to 21.4%.

This area had the region’s second highest percentage of people aged 16 years and over (excluding full-time students) who were employed. Across the region, only Watford , with 63.4%, had a higher percentage.

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.

Fewer adults working long hours

Central Bedfordshire saw the East of England’s joint second-largest percentage-point fall (alongside South Cambridgeshire , Babergh and East Hertfordshire ) in the proportion of people aged 16 years and over and in employment who said they usually worked over 49 hours per week (from 14.9% in 2011 to 11.7% in 2021).

Across the region, only Uttlesford saw a greater fall in the percentage of people aged 16 years and over and in employment who said they usually worked over 49 hours per week (from 18.1% to 14.4%).

Every local authority area across the East of England saw a fall in the percentage of people aged 16 years and over and in employment who said they usually worked over 49 hours per week, as the regional percentage fell from 14.3% to 11.9%.

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

Disability

In 2021, 5.8% of Central Bedfordshire residents were identified as being disabled and limited a lot. This figure decreased from 6.9% in 2011. These are age-standardised proportions.

In 2021, just under 1 in 10 people (9.7%) were identified as being disabled and limited a little, compared with 9.1% in 2011. The proportion of Central Bedfordshire residents who were not disabled increased from 83.9% to 84.5%.

The decrease in the proportion of residents who were identified as being disabled and limited a lot in Central Bedfordshire (1.1 percentage points) was similar to the decrease across the East of England (1.2 percentage points, from 7.8% to 6.6%). Across England, the proportion fell by 1.6 percentage points, from 9.1% to 7.5%.

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.

Ethnic groups

In 2021, 3.0% of Central Bedfordshire residents identified their ethnic group within the “Mixed or Multiple” category, up from 1.9% in 2011. The 1.1 percentage-point change was the largest increase among high-level ethnic groups in this area.

Across the East of England, the percentage of people from “Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups” increased from 1.9% to 2.8%, while across England the percentage increased from 2.3% to 3.0%.

In 2021, 90.2% of people in Central Bedfordshire identified their ethnic group within the “White” category (compared with 93.8% in 2011), while 3.5% identified their ethnic group within the “Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh” category (compared with 2.5% the previous decade).

The percentage of people who identified their ethnic group within the “Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African” category increased from 1.4% in 2011 to 2.4% 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.

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

About the data:

Main points taken from stated ONS bulletins
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.