WORCESTER has seen the number of people aged 65 and over rise by more than a quarter over the last decade, according to the 2021 census.
And it appears the city is getting older as the number of people aged 65 and above rose by 25.9 per cent since 2011 but the number of children younger than 15 fell by 1.6 per cent.
A small increase of 2.7 per cent of those aged 15 to 64 was also recorded on census day last year – March 21 – when residents in Worcester and across England and Wales were asked about themselves, their household and their home to build a detailed snapshot of society.
The results are intended to help organisations make decisions on planning and funding public services such as transport, education and healthcare.
According to the figures released on Tuesday (March 28), Worcester’s population has increased by 5.2 per cent in the last ten years, from around 98,800 in 2011 to 103,900 in 2021.
That’s lower than the West Midlands increase of 6.2 per cent and the overall increase for England – 6.6 per cent – where the population grew by nearly 3.5million to 56,489,800.
Nearby areas like Wychavon and Malvern Hills have seen their populations increase by around 13.3 per cent and 6.4 per cent, respectively, while others such as Wyre Forest saw an increase of 3.7 per cent while Redditch saw just a 3.3 per cent growth.
In 2021, Worcester ranked 232nd for total population out of 309 local authority areas in England, maintaining the same position it held a decade ago.
As of 2021, Worcester is the sixth most densely populated of the West Midlands’ 30 local authority areas, with around 22 people living on each football pitch-sized area of land.
In comparison Tower Hamlets in London has become the most densely populated local authority area in England, overtaking Islington, with the equivalent of around 112 people per pitch.
The population overall has continued to age.
Across England, more than one in six people – 18.4 per cent – were aged 65 years and over on census day, a higher percentage than ever before.
National statistician Pete Benton said: “Since census day the world has continued to change.
“People continue to move home, some people will have left the country, others will have arrived. People will have changed jobs, some of us now work in offices once again, while others continue to work from home.
“Ultimately, the full suite of census results, based on the information we all gave, will ensure decisions about how the billions of pounds we spend each year as a nation are made using the best possible evidence.”
