UK 2021 Census results : New figures confirm growth in both Peterborough and Cambridge population

A new set of figures released today by the Office for National Statistics shows that the number of people living in Peterborough and Cambridge has seen extraordinary growth, particularly in the last ten years.

The results of the 2021 Census show that the population of England and Wales has risen to 59,597,300 with the population of the United Kingdom as a whole now numbering 66,966,400.

The rise is one of the biggest since the Census began in 1801, according to the Office for National Statistics.

When broken down into constituent parts both Peterborough and Cambridge, along with Bedford, show some of the largest areas of population growth in the country.

Since the last Census was taken in 2011, the population of Peterborough has grown by 17.5% to 215,700.

At the same time, the population of Cambridge has grown by 17.6% to 145,700, while Bedford showed a growth of 17.7% to 185,300.

Many large towns and cities have seen their populations fall, including Sunderland, Gateshead, Swansea and the London boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Camden, and Westminster.

The place with the biggest increases was the east London borough of Tower Hamlets, where the population grew by 22.1%.

Other figures in our area include: East Cambridgeshire with a 4.6% growth to 87,700; Fenland with a growth of 7.6% to 102,500; Huntingdon with a growth of 6.7% to 180,800; and South Cambridgeshire with a growth of 8.9% to 162,000.

By the Local Democracy Reporting Service.