Census 2021: First results show Barking and Dagenham’s population has grown significantly over past decade

A woman logs on to the Census 2021 website ahead of all households being asked to complete the census ahead of Census Day on Sunday. Picture date: Saturday March 20, 2021.

The first results of the 2021 census are in – and they show Barking and Dagenham has seen its population swell over the last decade.

The census takes place every 10 years, with every household in the UK required to take part.

The latest snapshot of England and Wales was captured on March 21 2021.

Now the first results have been released – and there’s been a large rise in the number of people living in Barking and Dagenham.

On census day, 218,900 people were living in the area – up 18% from 185,911 in 2011, when the last census was carried out.

This also means the population density has grown to 6,064 usual residents per square kilometre, up from 5,150 in 2011.

The census is crucial for the UK’s statisticians to understand how our population is changing, and plays a vital role in how our public services and government operate.

It shows the balance of men and women in the area has changed – Barking and Dagenham’s population is now 48.7% male and 51.3% female, meaning there is now a slightly higher proportion of men in the area than 10 years ago.

In 2011, people living in Barking and Dagenham were 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

It also shows the area has seen a relative drop in both young children and the elderly – a decade ago the population was made up of 17.8% under-10s and 10.4% over-65s, but this had changed to 16.2% and 8.7% respectively by 2021.

Across England and Wales, the total population grew 6.3% over the past decade, from 56,075,912 in 2011 to 59,597,300 last year.

This included a 7.7% increase in London, where the population rose to 8,799,800 from 8,173,941 in 2011.

There were 24.7 million households in England and Wales on census day 2021, up from 23.4 million in 2011, with an average of 2.4 people in each household – the same as in 2011.

Historic populations of Barking and Dagenham:

1981: 148,9791991: 143,6812001: 163,9462011: 185,9112021: 218,900

Historic populations of London:

1981: 6,608,5981991: 6,679,6992001: 7,172,0912011: 8,173,9412021: 8,799,800