The census is the most complete source of information about our population. Held every 10 years, it’s been giving a detailed picture of our society since 1801. We ran our last census in 2011 and we’re now getting ready for the next one in 2021. The information we receive is vitally important to local authorities and community groups, as well as to the government, businesses and academics.
Census data helps these groups to understand the needs of our society, now and in the future. It also helps with planning and resource allocation, while providing a snapshot for future generations to look back on.
By spreading the word and taking part in the census, you’ll help make sure your community is counted and gets the services it needs.
Access local census data with Nomis
You can personalise your lessons with local data from past censuses. To explore and download this data you can use ONS’s database website, Nomis. You can then generate colourful pie charts and bar charts with our free chart generation tool.
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