Newcastle has become a bigger city in the last 10 years but other parts of the region have gone into decline, new data from the official census shows.
The population of Newcastle rose 7.1% between 2011 and 2021 to stand at 300,200 in 2021. The city was the only part of the region to outpace the national average for population growth, with the number of people in England rising 6.6% to just under 56.5m.
By contrast, Sunderland, Gateshead and South Tyneside saw falling populations over the decade between censuses, and the North East as a whole recorded the smallest rise in population of any English region at 1.4%. All areas of the North East have become older over the last 10 years, with the largest age group now being people aged 55 to 59.
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The census also shows that Northumberland is one of the 10 most sparsely populated areas in England and Wales, with 64 people living per square kilometre - the equivalent of one person for every two football pitches of land. By contrast Newcastle has 2,646 per square kilometre, or 12 person for every football pitch-sized area.
The 2021 survey, carried out on March 21 last year, came against the backdrop of both Brexit - which has seen restrictions on immigration - and the coronavirus pandemic. The total population across England and Wales was 59,597,300, the ONS said - with 56,489,800 in England and 3,107,500 in Wales.
The ONS said: “Population change in certain areas may reflect how the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic affected people’s choice of usual residence on census day. These changes might have been temporary for some and more long-lasting for others.”
More than 24 million households across England and Wales filled in census questionnaires in spring last year, with a record 89% of responses completed online. Separate figures for Northern Ireland published last month showed that the population on census day was a record 1,903,100, up by 92,200 or 5% since 2011. Scotland’s census data is not expected until next year.
The census takes place across the UK every 10 years and provides the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in the country. Its results are used by a range of organisations including governments, councils and businesses, and underpins everything from the calculation of economic growth and unemployment to helping plan schools, health services and transport links.
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.
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 population of areas in the North East is:
County Durham 522,100 (up 1.7% from 2011)
Northumberland 320,600 (+1.4%)
Newcastle upon Tyne 300,200 (+7.1%)
Sunderland 274,200 (-0.5%)
North Tyneside 209,000 (+4.1%)
Gateshead 196,100 (-2.1%)
South Tyneside 147,800 (-0.2%)
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