New census data shows Leicestershire growing, with new population figures available by sex and age group.
The overall population of Leicestershire has risen from 650,489 in the 2011 national census to 712,300 in the 2021 census (rounded to the nearest 100).
This is broken down by sex, with 351,700 men (49.4 per cent of the population) and 360,600 women (50.6 per cent of the population) living in the county.
The number of households in the county has risen by 11 per cent from 267,434 in the 2011 census to 296,400 in the 2021 census (rounded to the nearest 100).
The census data allows Leicestershire County Council to make planning decisions for the future regarding provision of services. This can help with predicting future changes in demand for services the county council provides such as school places, adult social care availability, public health provision, transport infrastructure and housing.
The 2021 census data shows a 9.5 per cent increase to the county’s population over the last 10 years. This confirms we are one of the fastest growing areas in the country in terms of economic growth and in population. This will place added pressures on already overstretched budgets, whether it’s providing adults and children’s social care, planning new school places, new road networks or waste management, we must be able to finance these growth pressures.
What this census data does do is allow us to plan ahead and to make better decisions for our communities. But the rise in the county's population also means that a fairer funding solution for us is needed now more than ever.
Person:Councillor Nick Rushton, leader of Leicestershire County CouncilFurther, more detailed information from the 2021 census including information on ethnic groups, education, labour, transport, and health will be released later in the year by the Office for National Statistics.
The full information released from the 2021 census so far for Leicestershire can be found the ONS page here.