Census 2001 - North West

North West consists of Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria and four unitary authorities: Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Halton and Warrington.

 Population      Marital status and types of household      Country of birth      Ethnicity      Religion      Health      Economic activity      Occupation    
 Qualifications      Travel to work      Housing      Background Notes

The North West is one of England's most populated regions, containing 13.7 per cent of the total. It has, however, decreased by 1.7 per cent between 1991 and 2001 (113,000 people).

Some of the main points from the census show:

• The region has the highest proportion of lone parent households with dependent children (7.7 per cent compared with 6.4 per cent nationally).
• After London, the North West is the most densely populated region in England and Wales (4.77 people per hectare).
• The North West region has an average household size of 2.35, just below the average for England of 2.36.
• The North West ranks second to the North East for the highest proportion of people stating their religion as Christian.
• The North West has an above average population of Pakistanis but smaller proportions of other minority ethnic groups than England as a whole.
• Almost 95 per cent of the North West's population was born in the UK, higher than the average for England as a whole.
• One in nine (11 per cent) of the population of the North West state their health is not good, compared with an average of nine per cent in England as a whole.
• More than one in five (20.7 per cent) of people in the region (almost 1.4 million) say they have a limiting long-term illness, compared with 17.9 per cent of people in England as whole.
• Just over three out of ten people aged 16 to 74 in the North West have no qualifications.
• 69 per cent of households in the region are owner occupied, slightly higher than the average for England (68 per cent).
• The North West has a slightly higher than average proportion of households who have no access to a car or van (30.2 per cent compared with 26.8 per cent).

Population

The North West had a population of 6,730,000 on census day, with 3,259,000 males and 3,471,000 females.

Greater Manchester and Merseyside, in particular Manchester, Liverpool and Wirral, have seen the largest population decrease since 1991. However, some areas have gained population - Eden, Vale Royal, Congleton & Crewe and Nantwich have all increased by more than five per cent.

The age structure of the North West population is similar to that of England as a whole. There are slightly fewer proportions of young people aged five to 19 and more people in their 60s, but fewer aged between 20 and 44, and fewer over-75s.

The local authorities of Fylde, South Lakeland, Wyre and Eden have the highest average ages in the North West. Half the population of Fylde and South Lakeland are aged 44 or over.

Manchester has the lowest average age in the region at 35. Half the population of Manchester is aged 31 or younger.

Over eight per cent of the population of Blackburn consists of children aged between 10 and 14 - the highest proportion in the country for this age group.

Within the North West, the most densely populated area is Blackpool with 40.75 people per hectare and Eden is the least densely populated with 0.23 people per hectare - the lowest for England as a whole.

Marital status and types of household

The North West has the highest regional proportion of lone parent households, but otherwise has a similar household structure to England as a whole.

There are higher proportions of divorced and widowed people in the North West compared with England as a whole.

Blackpool has the highest proportion of people in England and Wales who are divorced or separated (15.2 per cent). Within the North West, Congleton has the highest proportion of married or re-married people (59.0 per cent).

Manchester has the highest proportion of single adults in the North West region, and the lowest rate of married or re-married people outside Inner London (32 per cent).

Merseyside has the highest proportion of households with non-dependent children (11.6 per cent compared with 9.3 per cent in England as a whole).

In Knowsley, 17.3 per cent of households comprise lone parent families - the highest proportion for any district in England and Wales.

Country of birth

Almost 95 per cent of the population of the North West were born in the UK and 3.5 per cent were born outside the EU, about half the average for England.

Over 10 per cent of the population of Manchester were born outside the EU. Manchester also has above average numbers of people born in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic (1.0 per cent and 2.7 per cent respectively).

Ethnicity

In the North West, 94.4 per cent of the population state their ethnic group as White, compared with 90.9 per cent of England as a whole. Within the region, Eden has the most White people (99.6 per cent).

Proportions of other minority ethnic groups are smaller than for England as a whole although there is an above average proportion of Pakistanis.

Religion

A high proportion of people in the North West state their religion is Christian (78.0 per cent compared with 71.7 per cent in England as a whole). This is the second highest regional proportion after the North East.

The five local authorities with the highest proportion of Christians in England are all in the North West. St Helens, Wigan, Copeland, Knowsley and Ribble Valley all have more than 85 per cent Christians.

Knowsley has the fewest people in the country with no religion (5.8 per cent). There are also seven per cent or fewer people in St Helens, Wigan and Copeland with no religion.

After Christian, Muslim is the second most common religion in the North West, at 3.0 per cent of the population - very close to the national average.

Jewish people comprise 0.4 per cent of North West's population, close to the national average, but there are fewer Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs in the North West than in England as a whole. Only 10.5 per cent of people in the region said they had no religion, compared with 14.6 per cent in England as a whole.

Health

More than two thirds (66.9 per cent) of people in the North West say they are in 'good health' - slightly below the national average for England (68.8 per cent).

Eleven per cent of people in the North West say their health was 'not good' compared with an average of nine per cent in England as a whole.

Almost 1.4 million people (20.7 per cent) report having a limiting long-term illness.

Blackpool, Barrow-in-Furness, Knowsley and Liverpool are among the top 20 local authorities in the country for both 'not good health' and limiting long-term illness.

People in Congleton, Macclesfield, Ribble Valley and Eden each have fewer than eight per cent of their population in 'not good health'. Congleton and Macclesfield are the only two districts in the region where less than one person in six report a long-term illness.

More than one in 10 (10.8 per cent) of the region's population provide unpaid care and 2.4 per cent of people (164,000) provide care for more than 50 hours per week for family members, friends or neighbours.

Over 12 per cent of the population of Barrow-in-Furness and St Helens provide unpaid care. The lowest proportion of carers in the North West are in Manchester, where under nine per cent of people act as carers.

Economic activity

Fifty-eight per cent of people (excluding students) in the North West aged 16 to 74 are working. The average for England is 61 per cent.

Thirty-six per cent of people of people aged 16 to 74 in the region are economically inactive, compared to 33 per cent in England as a whole.

Liverpool has the highest proportion of unemployment in the North West (excluding students) and the highest proportion of people who are economically inactive.

Occupation

Two Cumbrian areas feature highly for skilled trades people. Barrow-in-Furness has the highest percentage of males with a skilled trade within the region and Eden has the third highest percentage of females with a skilled trade in England.

Manchester has the third highest percentage of males in England working in sales and consumer service occupations.

Copeland has the highest percentage of people in England working in the electricity, gas and water supply industry.

Qualifications

The percentage of people aged 16 to 74 in the North West with two or more A levels or higher is 24.9 per cent - slightly below that of England as a whole.

Travel to work

The North West has an above average proportion of people travelling to work by motor vehicle (67.7 per cent of people aged 16-74 in employment, compared with 62.7 per cent in England). This varies considerably across the region, from 54 per cent in Manchester to 76 per cent in Congleton and Vale Royal.

Over 20 per cent of people travel to work by public transport in Manchester and Liverpool.

Housing

The North West has an average household size of 2.35, just below the average for England of 2.36.

Households in the region has an average of 5.36 rooms (excluding bathrooms and storage rooms), slightly higher than the average for England of 5.33.

There are 5.4 per cent of households in the region defined as overcrowded (that is, where a household has one or more too few rooms available than are necessary), compared with 7.1 per cent for England as a whole.

Within the region, Manchester has the most overcrowded households (11.2 per cent) and South Ribble the least (2.6 per cent).

Background Notes

1. Census day was 29 April 2001. Census data give a snapshot picture of the country at this time. Population counts by age and sex for England and Wales, Wales, regions of England and English and Welsh local authorities were published on 30 September 2002.

2. The Office for National Statistics is responsible for the census in England and Wales. The Census in Scotland and in Northern Ireland is carried out by the General Register Office for Scotland and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency respectively. Census data for Scotland and Northern Ireland are released separately.

3. Detailed Census results published today are mainly for England and Wales and its regions and local authorities. Individual press releases are available for Wales and each of the nine English Government Office Regions: North West, North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands, East Midlands, South West, South East, London and the East. Press releases covering six key Census topic areas are also issued today: Ethnicity and religion, Families, Health, Households, People and places, Work. Census data published today are available free on the National Statistics website: www.statistics.gov.uk/census/

4. Further releases of Census data will take place through Spring and Summer 2003. In March/April there will be cross-tabulated data, followed by data down to small area/ward level. In the summer will begin a series of multi-source topic reports which draw upon other sources in addition to census to provide detailed pictures of specific topics and areas.

5. Details of the policy governing the release of new data are available from the press office.

6. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference. © Crown copyright 2003.