Moves within UK
1 in 9 moved in year to April 2001
Distance moved by people changing address within the UK in the year prior to the 2001 Census
Around one in nine people (11 per cent) moved within the UK in the year before the 2001 Census.
Most within country moves are over a short distance. Over 40 per cent of migrants had moved no further than 2km. Another 23 per cent moved 3 to 9km from their previous address. Fewer than 7 per cent had moved 200km or more. Long distance moves were strongly associated with students moving to and from higher education institutions and members of the armed forces moving between bases.
Some types of people change address much more frequently than others. This is especially true for young adults, particularly the single and childless. Students moving to and from university and changing address while at university contribute to the peak in migration at these ages, as do other young people leaving the family home.
Net migration between the regions of the UK, 1971 to 2003
With around 11 per cent of the population changing address each year, migration within the UK has the potential to cause large shifts in the geographical distribution of the population. An aspect of this which has changed in the last three years is a net northward flow.
A continuing pattern is the movement of people from urban areas to the suburbs and more rural areas. Traditional resort and retirement areas gained the most as a result of the moves out of London and the metropolitan districts. Shire-county districts, smaller towns and more rural areas also gained population from the metropolitan losses in the year leading up to the 2001 Census. This exodus from the cities included members of ethnic minority groups as well as White people.
Sources: 2001 Census, Individual Sample of Anonymised Records - Office for National Statistics; General Register Office for Scotland; Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency National Health Service Central Register, Office for National Statistics
Notes: The second chart compares movement between the Government Office Regions of London, South East, South West, East of England and East Midlands combined with the remainder of the UK.
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