Census 2022: Scarborough's population is ageing and has risen by just seven in last decade, new data reveals

The census takes place every 10 years and all households in England and Wales are required to take part to provide an insight into homes, with the latest snapshot captured on March 21 2021.

Figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there were 29,900 people aged 65 and over living in Scarborough on census day last year – up from 25,320 in 2011 when the census was last carried out.

It means the proportion of over-65s living in the area rose over the last decade – from 23.3 per cent to 27.5 per cent.

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.

There were 31,000 people aged 29 and under living in Scarborough on March 21 last year, who accounted for 28.5 per cent of the population – down from 34,281 (31.5 per cent) in 2011.

Of them, 10,000 under-10s called Scarborough home.

This trend is reflected across England and Wales as a whole, where the population is ageing.

There were 11.1 million over-65s in 2021 – 18.6 per cent of the population – up from 9.2 million in 2011 (16.4 per cent) and 7.3 million (15.0 per cent) 40 years ago.

Data from the 2021 census for England and Wales will be published in stages over the next two years, the ONS said.

Future releases will include figures on ethnicity, religion, the labour market, education and housing plus – for the first time – information on UK armed forces veterans, sexual orientation and gender identity.

There has been a rise in the number of people living in Scarborough. On census day, 108,800 people were living in the area – up slightly from 108,793 in 2011, when the last census was carried out.

This also means the population density has stayed the same over the last decade, at 133 usual residents per square kilometre.

The census was taken at a time when coronavirus restrictions were still in place across the UK, with people only allowed to leave their homes in England for recreation and exercise outdoors with their household or support bubble, or with one person outside their household, and the rule-of-six on outside gatherings not coming into place until the end of March.

The census, which is used to understand how the UK's population changes over time, shows the balance of men and women across the country.

In Scarborough, 48.6 per cent of the population was male and 51.4 per cent was female last year – respectively, this compares to 48.3 per cent and 51.7 per cent 10 years ago.

Across Yorkshire and the Humber, the population grew 3.7 per cent over the last decade, from 5,283,733 in 2011 to 5,480,800.

Scarborough's historic populations:

• 1981 - 98,791

• 1991 - 106,221

• 2001 - 106,240

• 2011 - 108,793

• 2021 - 108,800