Isle of Wight population figures
Published: 29 June 2022
The first results from Census 2021 include estimates of households and the population for England and for Wales, available for each local authority district, by sex and 5-year age band.
On the Island in 2021, the overall population (rounded to the nearest 100) was 140,400, a rise of 2,100 from the 138,300 usual residents as at census day 2011, ten years earlier.
So the Isle of Wight population size has increased by 1.5%, which is considerably lower than the overall increase for England (6.6%), where the population grew by nearly 3.5 million to 56,489,800.
The population density has also been released, and this too shows a small rise, from 360 people per square kilometre in 2011, to 370 in 2021. In 2021, the Isle of Wight ranked 161st for total population out of 309 local authority areas in England, which is a fall of 16 places in a decade.
There has also been a rise in older residents. The 2021 census reveals an increase of 24.7% in people aged 65 years and over (compared with an increase of 20.1% across England as a whole), a decrease of 5.3% in people aged 15 to 64 years, and a decrease of 6.3% in children aged under 15 years.
In 2011, there were 61,100 households with at least one resident on the Island, and by 2021 this had risen to 64,800 households with at least one resident (figures are rounded to the nearest 100). Figures for other households, including households with no residents, have not yet been published.
Director of regeneration, Chris Ashman, said: "We use information like this from the ONS to plan how we will deliver services and to make vital decisions, including choices with very long-term effects such as housing supply, regeneration, public health and transport provision. We have reliable estimates for these figures but it's always a good idea to put these to the test now and again - which is why the ten-yearly census is so valuable."
Cllr Chris Jarman said: "The census is important for historical research and for our Island future planning on everything from our health sector needs, education provision and care in later years. As further demographic details are released by ONS we will continue to analyse the trends and to refine our local plans accordingly. The continued shift on our Isle of Wight to an increasingly older population and fewer school age children raises particular challenges and demonstrates the unique pressures on our community".
The population density has also been released, and this too shows a small rise, from 360 people per square kilometre in 2011, to 370 in 2021. In 2021, the Isle of Wight ranked 161st for total population out of 309 local authority areas in England, which is a fall of 16 places in a decade.
There has also been a rise in older residents. The 2021 census reveals an increase of 24.7% in people aged 65 years and over (compared with an increase of 20.1% across England as a whole), a decrease of 5.3% in people aged 15 to 64 years, and a decrease of 6.3% in children aged under 15 years.
In 2011, there were 61,100 households with at least one resident on the Island, and by 2021 this had risen to 64,800 households with at least one resident (figures are rounded to the nearest 100). Figures for other households, including households with no residents, have not yet been published.
Director of regeneration, Chris Ashman, said: "We use information like this from the ONS to plan how we will deliver services and to make vital decisions, including choices with very long-term effects such as housing supply, regeneration, public health and transport provision. We have reliable estimates for these figures but it's always a good idea to put these to the test now and again - which is why the ten-yearly census is so valuable."
Cllr Chris Jarman said: "The census is important for historical research and for our Island future planning on everything from our health sector needs, education provision and care in later years. As further demographic details are released by ONS we will continue to analyse the trends and to refine our local plans accordingly. The continued shift on our Isle of Wight to an increasingly older population and fewer school age children raises particular challenges and demonstrates the unique pressures on our community".
