Biggest rise in population recorded

The population of England and Wales has risen by 3.7 million in a decade – the biggest increase since records began.

There were 56.1 million people living in England and Wales on the day of Census 2011, an increase of 3.7 million since the 2001 survey, when there were 52.4 million people.

In Wolverhampton, the population rose from 238,000 to 249,500, an increase of 4.8 per cent.

n Dudley, the population rose by 2.6 per cent, or 7,800, from 305,100 to 312,900.While in Wyre Forest, there was a 1.1 per cent rise, from 96,900 to 98,000.

In the West Midlands, the population rose six per cent to 5.6 million, up from 5.3 million in 2011.

The total number of households in the West Midlands was 2.3 million.

The Office for National Statistics said migration, increased life expectancy and higher fertility rates had all contributed to the population increase.

Nationally, the figures also revealed one in six people in England and Wales in 2011 are aged 65 and over.

The survey paints a picture of an ageing population, with 430,000 people in England and Wales aged 90 and over, compared with only 13,000 when the Census was carried out in 1911.

The average age of the population has increased to 39 in 2011, up from 35 in 2001 and 25 in 1911.

But there was also an increase in the number of under fives, with more than 400,000 more in 2011 compared with 2001.

The results show every region in England and Wales had a larger population in 2011 than 10 years earlier. The largest increase in population was in London, which grew by 12 per cent, taking its total population to more than eight million.

By Mike Woods