Wirral has smallest population increase across North-West

The total population of England has grown by 6.6 per cent, increasing by nearly 3.5 million to 56,489,800.

Phase one of the census data, which has been released today, shows that the Wirral population has increased from 319,800 people in 2011 to 320,200 people in 2021.

Figures also show that 165,100 of the Wirral are male and 155,100 are female.

Nearby areas such as Cheshire West and Chester and Knowsley have seen their populations increase by around 8.4 per cent and 5.9 per cent.

Meanwhile other areas such as Liverpool saw an increase of 4.2 per cent and Sefton saw smaller growth of 2.0 per cent.

Credit: ons.gov.uk

In 2021, Wirral ranked 37th for total population out of 309 local authority areas in England, which is a fall of 13 places in a decade.

Since the last census in 2011, the Wirral has seen an increase of 15.5 per cent in people aged 65 years and over, a decrease of 3.9 per cent in people aged 15 to 64 years, and a decrease of 1.6 per cent in children aged under 15 years.

The largest population increases in the North-West have been seen in Salford and Chorley, where the populations have grown by 15.4 per cent and 9.9 per cent.