The number of people living in Brighton and Hove rose 1.44 per cent from 2011 to 2021, according to the first batch of census data to be released.
In 2011, there were 273,369 people living in the city – 137,261 women and 136,108 men (a 50.2/49.8 split).
Last year, there were 277,200 on census day – 141,600 women and 135,600 men (a 51.1/48.9 split)
The 2021 data also showed a steep drop in the number of pre-school children living in the city, down 22 per cent from 15,015 to 11,700.
There has also been a large increase in older age groups, most notably 45 to 59-year-olds increasing by 23 per cent and 65 to 74-year-olds by 21 per cent.
Nationally, the overall population of England and Wales increased by 6.3 per cent to 59.6 million.
The figures for younger children back up trends identified by Brighton and Hove City Council’s school planners, who are trying to work out how to cut school places across the city without closing any schools.
The number of households with at least one usual resident decreasing slightly from 121,540 to 121,400 – a decrease of 0.11 per cent. The population density has risen from 3,310 to 3,346 people per square kilometre.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said: “Population change in certain areas may reflect how the coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic affected people’s choice of usual residence on census day.
“These changes might have been temporary for some and more long-lasting for others.”
| 2021 | 2011 | % change | |
| Aged 4 years and under | 11,700 | 15,015 | -22.08 |
| Aged 5 to 9 years | 13,000 | 13,291 | -2.19 |
| Aged 10 to 14 years | 14,200 | 13,412 | 5.88 |
| Aged 15 to 19 years | 17,800 | 18,039 | -1.32 |
| Aged 20 to 24 years | 28,000 | 28,129 | -0.46 |
| Aged 25 to 29 years | 21,000 | 22,998 | -8.69 |
| Aged 30 to 44 years | 59,200 | 65,653 | -9.83 |
| Aged 45 to 59 years | 59,700 | 48,426 | 23.28 |
| Aged 60 to 64 years | 13,600 | 12,714 | 6.97 |
| Aged 65 to 74 years | 21,200 | 17,460 | 21.42 |
| Aged 75 to 84 years | 12,300 | 12,248 | 0.42 |
| Aged 85 to 89 years | 3,400 | 3,758 | -9.53 |
| Aged 90 years and over | 2,200 | 2,226 | -1.17 |
| TOTAL | 277,200* | 273,369 | 1.44 |
The census takes place across the UK every 10 years and provides the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in the country.
Its results are used by a range of organisations including governments, councils and businesses, and underpins everything from the calculation of economic growth and unemployment to helping plan schools, health services and transport links.
Data from the 2021 census for England and Wales will be published in stages over the next two years, the ONS said.
Future releases will include figures on ethnicity, religion, the labour market, education and housing plus – for the first time – information on UK armed forces veterans, sexual orientation and gender identity.
The census was taken at a time when coronavirus restrictions were still in place across the country, with people only allowed to leave their homes in England for recreation and exercise outdoors with their household or support bubble, or with one person outside their household, and the more relaxed “rule of six” for outside gatherings not coming into effect until the end of March.
*Figures are individually rounded to the nearest hundred. Figures may not add exactly due to this rounding.
