Demographics of Greater Manchester

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Demographics of Greater Manchester
Population pyramid of Greater Manchester
Population2,685,400
Population density in the 2011 census in Greater Manchester.

The demography of Greater Manchester is analysed by the Office for National Statistics and data is produced for each of its ten metropolitan boroughs, each of the Greater Manchester electoral wards, the NUTS3 statistical sub-regions, each of the Parliamentary constituencies in Greater Manchester, the 15 civil parishes in Greater Manchester, and for all of Greater Manchester as a whole; the latter of which had a population of 2,682,500 at the 2011 UK census.[1] Additionally, data is produced for the Greater Manchester Urban Area. Statistical information is produced about the size and geographical breakdown of the population, the number of people entering and leaving country and the number of people in each demographic subgroup.

Key statistics[edit]

Compared against the demographics of England, Greater Manchester's demographics are broadly inline with national averages on many topics. In terms of ethnicity, its Asian and British Asian population is considerably above the regional and national averages, as is the portion of residents who identify as Muslim. Compared against the demographics of the United Kingdom, Greater Manchester's ethnic minority population consists of 11.09% of the total population.[citation needed] NB. Information in the table on the right is from the 2001 census and not the most recent 2011 census.

As of 2020, the ONS estimates the population of the Greater Manchester Metropolitan County to be 2,835,686.[2]

Industry sectors in Greater Manchester over time

Population change[edit]

The population of Greater Manchester increased from around 328 thousand in 1801, to 2.5 million in 2001, peaking in 2011, at 2.7 million. 2011 census data shows a population of 2,685,400

The following is a table outlining population totals of the area for every ten years since 1801, using material from the census in the United Kingdom via the Great Britain Historical GIS; pre-1974 statistics were gathered from local government areas that now comprise Greater Manchester. The total population of Greater Manchester is predicted to grow to around 2,950,000 by 2031, with the City of Manchester alone accounting for 36% of the growth.[3]

Historical populations
YearPopulation±%
1801 328,609—    
1811 409,464+24.6%
1821 526,230+28.5%
1831 700,486+33.1%
1841 860,413+22.8%
1851 1,037,001+20.5%
1861 1,313,550+26.7%
1871 1,590,102+21.1%
1881 1,866,649+17.4%
1891 2,125,318+13.9%
1901 2,357,150+10.9%
1911 2,617,598+11.0%
YearPopulation±%
1921 2,660,088+1.6%
1931 2,707,070+1.8%
1941 2,693,775−0.5%
1951 2,688,987−0.2%
1961 2,699,711+0.4%
1971 2,729,741+1.1%
1981 2,575,441−5.7%
1991 2,569,700−0.2%
2001 2,482,352−3.4%
2011 2,685,400+8.2%
2021 2,867,752+6.8%
Source: A Vision of Britain through Time.[4]

Boroughs[edit]

Manchester has always been vastly more populous than any other district of Greater Manchester.

According to the 2011 census, of Greater Manchester's ten metropolitan boroughs, the City of Manchester is the most populous with a population of 503,127, whilst the Metropolitan Borough of Bury is the least populous with 185,100. The City of Manchester's population in 2021 is predicted at 532,200.[5] The city experienced the greatest percentage population growth outside London, with an increase of 19% to over 500,000.[6] Manchester's population according to the 2021 census is 549,853, an increase of 9.2% from 2011. This represents a slower rate of growth than the previous decade.[5]

In terms of ethnic composition, the City of Manchester has the highest non-white population in Greater Manchester (34th in England), followed by the metropolitan boroughs of Oldham (45th in England), Rochdale (53rd in England), and Trafford (68th in England). Wigan is the least ethnically diverse borough in the county, and 274th in England.

The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is the borough with the highest proportion of people under fifteen years of age.[7] Almost 12% of people in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham are of South Asian heritage, the highest proportion of a borough of Greater Manchester.[7]

With greater affluence, a recent trend has seen some of the Pakistani community move out of the inner city into more spacious suburbs. In South Manchester this means that they have been moving from Longsight/Levenshulme to more suburban areas such as Cheadle, Chorlton and Heaton Mersey. The inner city areas that are being left are generally filled with newer immigrants from places like Iran, Afghanistan and Poland.[1] [2][permanent dead link][3][4][dead link]

Rank
2011 		Rank
2001 		Metropolitan district Population in 2011 Change 2001–2011
1 1 Manchester 503,127 Increase028.1%
2 2 Wigan 317,800 Increase05.4%
3 3 Stockport 283,300 Decrease00.4%
4 4 Bolton 276,800 Increase06.0%
5 6 Salford 233,900 Increase08.2%
6 8 Trafford 226,600 Increase07.8%
7 5 Oldham 224,900 Increase03.5%
8 7 Tameside 219,300 Increase02.9%
9 9 Rochdale 211,700 Increase03.2%
10 10 Bury 185,100 Increase02.5%
  • Population pyramids of Greater Manchester's boroughs
  • Manchester
    Manchester
  • Wigan
    Wigan
  • Stockport
    Stockport
  • Bolton
    Bolton
  • Salford
    Salford
  • Trafford
    Trafford
  • Oldham
    Oldham
  • Tameside
    Tameside
  • Rochdale
    Rochdale
  • Bury
    Bury

Ethnicity[edit]

The following table shows the ethnic group of respondents in the 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2021 censuses in Greater Manchester.

Ethnic Group Year
1981 estimations[8] 1991[9] 2001[10] 2011[11] 2021[12]
Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %
White: Total 2,475,396 96.1% 2,351,239 94.07% 2,260,507 91.06% 2,248,123 83.81% 2,190,838 76.4%
White: British[Note 1] – – – – 2,183,096 87.95% 2,141,687 79.84% 2,045,951 71.3%
White: Irish – – 51,044 2.04% 42,646 1.72% 34,499 1.29% 30,907 1.1%
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller[Note 2] – – – – – – 1,523 0.06% 2,409 0.1%
White: Roma – – – – – – – – 3,274 0.1%
White: Other[Note 1] – – – – 34,765 1.40% 70,414 2.62% 108,297 3.8%
Asian or Asian British: Total – – 103,810 4.15% 151,876 6.12% 272,173 10.15% 389,283 13.5%
Asian or Asian British: Indian – – 29,741 1.18% 35,931 1.45% 53,461 1.99% 69,481 2.4%
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani – – 49,370 1.97% 75,187 3.03% 130,012 4.85% 209,061 7.3%
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi – – 11,445 0.45% 20,064 0.81% 34,186 1.27% 46,460 1.6%
Asian or Asian British: Chinese[Note 3] – – 8,323 0.33% 11,858 0.48% 26,079 0.97% 29,582 1.0%
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian – – 4,931 0.19% 8,836 0.36% 28,435 1.06% 34,699 1.2%
Black or Black British: Total – – 31,537 1.26% 29,747 1.20% 74,097 2.76% 134,114 4.7%
Black or Black British: African – – 5,240 0.20% 16,233 0.65% 44,691 1.67% 98,557 3.4%
Black or Black British: Caribbean – – 17,095 0.68% 10,255 0.41% 17,767 0.66% 19,711 0.7%
Black or Black British: Other Black – – 9,202 0.36% 3,259 0.13% 11,639 0.43% 15,846 0.6%
Mixed or British Mixed: Total[Note 1] – – – – 32,901 1.33% 60,710 2.26% 86,520 3.1%
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean – – – – 13,104 0.53% 23,131 0.86% 27,906 1.0%
Mixed: White and Black African – – – – 4,860 0.20% 9,997 0.37% 16,379 0.6%
Mixed: White and Asian – – – – 8,547 0.34% 15,657 0.58% 23,005 0.8%
Mixed: Other Mixed – – – – 6,390 0.26% 11,925 0.44% 19,230 0.7%
Other: Total – – 12,855 0.51% 7,297 0.29% 27,425 1.02% 66,997 2.4%
Other: Arab[Note 4] – – – – – – 15,026 0.56% 27,322 1.0%
Other: Any other ethnic group – – 12,855 0.51% 7,297 0.29% 12,399 0.46% 39,675 1.4%
Non-White: Total 100,045 3.9% 148,202 5.9% 221,821 8.9% 434,405 16.2% 676,914 23.6%
Total 2,575,441 100% 2,499,441 100.00% 2,482,328 100.00% 2,682,528 100.00% 2,867,752 100%

Notes for table above

  1. New category created for the 2001 census
  2. New category created for the 2011 census
  3. In 2001, listed under the 'Other ethnic group' heading.
Distribution of ethnic groups in Greater Manchester according to the 2021 census.
  • White
    White
  • White-British
    White-British
  • White-Irish
    White-Irish
  • White-Other
    White-Other
  • Asian
    Asian
  • Asian-Indian
    Asian-Indian
  • Asian-Pakistani
    Asian-Pakistani
  • Asian-Bangladeshi
    Asian-Bangladeshi
  • Asian-Chinese
    Asian-Chinese
  • Black
    Black
  • Black-African
    Black-African
  • Black-Caribbean
    Black-Caribbean
  • Other-Arab
    Other-Arab
  • Other-Any Other Ethnic Group
    Other-Any Other Ethnic Group

Languages[edit]

The most common main languages spoken in Greater Manchester according to the 2011 census are shown below.[13]

Rank Language Usual residents aged 3+ Proportion
1 English 2,370,094 92.12%
2 Urdu 31,712 1.23%
3 Polish 21,231 0.83%
4 Bengali (with Sylheti and Chatgaya) 16,946 0.66%
5 Punjabi 16,189 0.63%
6 Gujarati 11,651 0.45%
7 Arabic 10,914 0.42%
8 Persian 5,654 0.22%
9 French 4,924 0.19%
10 Somali 3,868 0.15%
11 Kurdish 3,656 0.14%
12 Portuguese 3,620 0.14%
13 Cantonese Chinese 3,440 0.13%
14 Spanish 3,252 0.13%
15 Pashto 2,684 0.10%
16 Italian 2,292 0.09%
17 Greek 2,199 0.09%
18 Czech 2,129 0.08%
19 German 2,088 0.08%
20 Pakistani Pahari (with Mirpuri and Potwari) 1,991 0.08%
Other 52,197 2.03%

Religion[edit]

The following table shows the religion of respondents in the 2001 and 2011 censuses in Greater Manchester.

Religion 2001[14] 2011[15] 2021[16]
Number % Number % Number %
Christian 1,840,599 74.15 1,657,594 61.79 1,347,104 46.97
Buddhist 5,156 0.21 9,555 0.36 9,529 0.33
Hindu 17,260 0.70 23,478 0.88 27,892 0.97
Jewish 21,733 0.88 25,013 0.93 28,075 0.98
Muslim 125,219 5.04 232,787 8.68 373,877 13.04
Sikh 3,720 0.15 5,322 0.20 7,353 0.26
Other religion 4,301 0.17 7,429 0.28 10,801 0.38
No religion 281,273 11.33% 557,129 20.77 915,592 31.93
Religion not stated 183,067 7.37% 164,221 6.12% 147,541 5.14
Total 2,482,328 100.00% 2,682,528 100.00% 2,867,752 100.00%
Distribution of religions in Greater Manchester according to the 2011 census.
  • Christianity
    Christianity
  • Islam
    Islam
  • Judaism
    Judaism
  • Hinduism
    Hinduism
  • Sikhism
    Sikhism
  • Buddhism
    Buddhism
  • Other religion
    Other religion
  • No religion
    No religion

Eurostat NUTS[edit]

In the Eurostat Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS), Greater Manchester is a level-2 NUTS region, coded "UKD3", which is subdivided into the "Greater Manchester South" (UKD31) and "Greater Manchester North" (UKD32) level-3 regions.

Urban and metropolitan area[edit]

At the 2001 census, the population of the Greater Manchester Urban Area was 2,240,230.[17] This area does not include some outliers within Greater Manchester, such as Wigan, but does extend into the adjacent counties of Lancashire and Cheshire. Eurostat has developed a harmonising standard for comparing metropolitan areas in the European Union and the population of the Greater Manchester Larger Urban Zone is 2,600,100; it occupies an area of 1,280 square kilometres (490 sq mi). The Greater Manchester LUZ is the second most populous within the United Kingdom, behind that of London, and sixteenth most populous within the EU.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c New category created for the 2001 census
  2. ^ New category created for the 2011 census
  3. ^ In 2001, listed under the 'Other ethnic group' heading.
  4. ^ New category created for the 2011 census

References[edit]

  1. ^ "2011 Census, Greater Manchester Gets Bigger". manchesterconfidential.co.uk. 18 July 2012. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  2. ^ "Estimates of the population for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland". Office for National Statistics. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  3. ^ Times Books 2012, p. 192.
  4. ^ A Vision of Britain through time. "Greater Manchester Met.C: Total Population". Retrieved 6 April 2007.
  5. ^ a b Council, Manchester City. "Manchester City Council download - Population reports - The Council & democracy - Statistics & intelligence". www.manchester.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  6. ^ Westcott, Lucy Townsend and Kathryn (17 July 2012). "Five lesser-spotted things in the census". BBC News. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  7. ^ a b "BOROUGH PROFILE: Oldham". Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. 2002. Archived from the original on 18 May 2007. Retrieved 10 February 2007.
  8. ^ Equality, Commission for Racial (1985). "Ethnic minorities in Britain: statistical information on the pattern of settlement". Commission for Racial Equality: Table 2.1.
  9. ^ Data is taken from United Kingdom Casweb Data services of the United Kingdom 1991 Census on Ethnic Data for England, Scotland and Wales (Table 6)
  10. ^ "Office of National Statistics; 2001 Census Key Statistics". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  11. ^ "2011 Census: Ethnic Group, local authorities in England and Wales". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Ethnic group - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  13. ^ "Download:local authorities: county / unitary". NOMIS. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  14. ^ "2001 census - theme tables". Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  15. ^ "Download:local authorities: county / unitary". NOMIS. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  16. ^ "Religion - Office for National Statistics".
  17. ^ Key Statistics for urban areas in England and Wales Archived 15 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine, 2001 Census. URL accessed 21 February 2007.

Bibliography[edit]

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