The demography of England has since 1801 been measured by the decennial national census, and is marked by centuries of population growth and urbanization. Due to the lack of authoritative contemporary sources, estimates of the population of England for dates prior to the first census in 1801 vary considerably. The population of England at the 2021 census was about 56,489,800.

Population

The population of England in 2021 was estimated to be 56,489,800. This is the most recent census. In the previous census, in 2011, the population was 53,012,456. Data for the 2021 census:

Historical population

Vital statistics

This is UK wide information. (c) = Census results. In 2023, the percentage of live births where either one or both parents were born outside of the UK was 38.2 per cent. 32.7 per cent of all live births in England were to mothers born outside of the UK (9.0% born in the EU, 23.7% born outside of the EU).

Current vital statistics

Historical per cent distribution of the total population by age

Country of birth

Country of birth given by respondents in the corresponding UK censuses were as follows: Below are the estimates of the largest foreign-born groups in England according to ONS estimates.

Age

The data below is based on the 2011 census. In 2001, the mean age of England's population was 38.60, and the median age was 37.00. In 2022, the median age was 40.5.

Ethnicity

Notes for table above

Population distribution

Ethnicity of school pupils

The ethnicity of school pupils in England has been changing since the figures started to be collected in 2002, White British students proportionally have been in decline compared to other groups who have risen.

Languages

The most common main languages spoken in England according to the 2011 census are shown below.

Religion

Respondents to the 2001, 2011 and 2021 censuses gave their religions as follows: