Migration and population statistics newsletter March 2021

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Migration and population statistics newsletter

29 March 2021

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Welcome to the March 2021 edition of the migration and population statistics newsletter, which includes news on recent and upcoming releases and events, and updates on the work we have been doing in the last quarter.

Look out for the next edition in June 2021.

Census form on laptop

Census 2021 - Sunday 21 March

What is the census?

The census is a survey that happens every 10 years and gives us a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales.

Your answers to the census questions will help organisations make decisions on planning and funding public services in your area, including transport, education and healthcare.

When to complete your census

Census Day was Sunday 21 March 2021, but it's not too late to take part.

If you completed your census early and the number of people in your household on Census Day changed, please let us know - you can find the numbers on the contact us page of the Census 2021 website.

The census should take about 10 minutes for the household questions and 10 minutes per person.

Read more about the census here

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

ONS has been working to ensure that the UK has the vital information needed to respond to the impact of this pandemic on our economy and society. Take a look at the Coronavirus (COVID-19) landing page on our website where you can find all the latest ONS data and analysis. 

Take a look at the latest data and analysis

Admin-based migration estimates 

On 16 April 2021 we will publish our first report on the development of new admin-based migration estimates (ABMEs) including our data sources and methods.

Model for migration flows

On 16 April 2021 we will publish experimental research on how to model migration flows during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic using Home Office and travel data. 

Impact of the coronavirus on population in labour market statistics

On 23 March we published experimental analysis of changes to levels non-UK nationals in employment using HMRC payroll data. The analysis will contribute to our ongoing work to develop new methods for population and migration but are not official estimates.

Read the blog     Read the bulletin

Travel and tourism review forum

The travel and tourism review team have developed a forum to engage and consult with a wide range of users. The forum is a space to feedback on the progress of the review and give users the opportunity to ask questions and comment on the review.

The review team wants to be sure they are engaging with users who might directly, or indirectly, use travel and tourism statistics so that users can be taken into consideration when changes are recommended.

To join the forum, please express your interest here.

Electoral statistics, UK

On 5 January, the Centre for Ageing and Demography published Electoral Statistics, UK: March 2020. These are the electoral registrations for Parliamentary and local government elections as recorded in the electoral registers published on 2 March 2020 for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Read the bulletin

Overview of the UK population

On 14 January, the Centre for Ageing and Demography published Overview of the UK population: January 2021. This is an overview of the UK population in 2019 (before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic): how it has changed, why it has changed and how it is projected to change in the future.

Read the bulletin

Population of the UK by country of birth and nationality

On 14 January, the Centre for International Migration published Population of the UK by country of birth and nationality: year ending June 2020. These are the latest population estimates for the UK by country of birth and nationality, covering the period up to the year ending June 2020.

Read the bulletin

Families and households in the UK

Families and households in the UK: 2020 was published on 2 March 2021. This shows trends in living arrangements including families (with and without dependent children), people living alone and people in shared accommodation, broken down by size and type of household. This year we expanded the range of regional tables that we publish but shortened the bulletin to a headline release only. We would welcome user feedback on these changes, to be sent to pop.info@ons.gov.uk

Read the bulletin

Upcoming releases

Please be advised that publication schedules could be affected by ONS's ongoing response to the COVID-19 situation.

16 April 2021

  • International Migration: developing our approach for producing admin-based migration estimates
  • Using statistical modelling to estimate UK international migration
  • Population and migration statistics system transformation – overview: April 2021

4 May 2021

  • Living Longer: Older workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

May 2021 (provisional) 

  • Electoral statistics, UK: 2020

  • Sexual orientation, UK: 2019

June to July 2021 (provisional)

  • Population estimates for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: mid-2020

July 2021 (provisional)

  • Population estimates by marital status and living arrangements, England and Wales: 2020

See the ONS release calendar

Rich Pereira

Rich Pereira is the head of the Centre for Ageing and Demography. You can follow Rich on Twitter for the latest in population statistics news @RichPereira_ONS.

Jay Lindop

Jay Lindop is the head of the Centre for International Migration. You can follow Jay on Twitter for the latest in migration statistics news @JayLindop_ONS.

ONS Centres

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Centres focus on areas of significant policy interest to produce new analysis and insights which are often cross-cutting and in partnership with other government departments, academics and external bodies. The centres undertake a wide range of work to fill crucial evidence gaps by utilising new sources of data; adopting the latest tools and approaches; and, work in collaboration with others.

Centre for Ageing and Demography - providing statistics and analysis on the UK's changing population

Centre for International Migration - understanding migration's significance in our population and economy

Read about the ONS Centres

ONS Twitter accounts

  • @ONS is the place to find out about statistics
  • @ONSFocus is the official platform for news and discussion about what's happening at ONS. It is designed for everyone with an interest in the numbers that matter most and how they are produced.

Devolved countries

The devolved countries for the UK are Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. For statistics relating to those individual countries, please see the links below:

Useful links

As well as the ONS website, you may also find the websites below useful:

Contact us

Should you have any questions about the content of this newsletter, please email us at pop.info@ons.gov.uk, or call us on +44 (0)1329 444661.