Area Profile for the City of Leicester: Demographic and Cultural
Population
| Leicester | Percent | England & Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| a: 1991 Mid year population revised | 281500 | 50748000 | |
| b: 1991 Mid year population original | 284700 | ||
| c: 1991 Census | 270493 | ||
| d: 2001 Census | 279921 | 52041916 | |
| Change (d - a) | -1579 | -0.56% | 2.49% |
The first table summarises the change in the city's population between 1991 and 2001. Unfortunately, comparisons are not straightforward due to a variety of factors, an important one being the changing definition of the population count at each Census.
It is for this reason that the population count from the 2001 Census is compared with the 1991 Mid Year Estimate rather than the 1991 Census count. (This latter figure has also been revised downwards in the light of the 2001 Census results which is why there are two versions in the table.)
Subject to these limitations, the figures show that Leicester's population has fallen by just over 0.5%. This runs contrary to the national trend which saw an increase of 2.5% for England and Wales. The same figure for the East Midlands region was +4%.
However, Leicester was similar to other large provincial cities in that they also experienced population decline e.g. Nottingham (-4.5%), Derby (-0.5%) and Coventry (-1%).
Age Structure: Census 2001
| Leicester | Percent | England & Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 - 4 | 19119 | 6.83% | 5.95% |
| 5 - 7 | 11727 | 4.19% | 3.74% |
| 8 - 9 | 7758 | 2.77% | 2.62% |
| 10 - 14 | 19752 | 7.06% | 6.58% |
| 15 | 4029 | 1.44% | 1.27% |
| 16 - 17 | 7724 | 2.76% | 2.51% |
| 18 - 19 | 8844 | 3.16% | 2.40% |
| 20 - 24 | 26104 | 9.33% | 6.00% |
| 25 - 29 | 21532 | 7.69% | 6.60% |
| 30 - 44 | 60847 | 21.74% | 22.55% |
| 45 - 59 | 43509 | 15.54% | 18.93% |
| 60 - 64 | 11129 | 3.98% | 4.89% |
| 65 - 74 | 19233 | 6.87% | 8.39% |
| 75 - 84 | 13728 | 4.90% | 5.64% |
| 85 - 89 | 3234 | 1.16% | 1.30% |
| 90 & over | 1652 | 0.59% | 0.65% |
| Mean age of population | 37.57 | 38.65 | |
| Median age of population | 36 | 37 |
One of the easiest ways of comparing age structures of different areas is by looking at the average age of the population. This gives a succinct, global measure of the age distribution.
Given that Leicester's average age is 37.6 years, compared to the national average of 38.6, Leicester has a relatively young population. This too is contrary to the national trend and can be explained by two factors. One is the presence of students attending the two universities in the city; the other is the higher proportion of school age children.
Ethnic Composition: Census 2001
| Leicester | Percent | England & Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White: British | 169456 | 60.54% | 87.49% |
| White: Irish | 3602 | 1.29% | 1.23% |
| White: Other White | 5681 | 2.03% | 2.59% |
| Mixed: White and Black Caribbean | 2841 | 1.01% | 0.46% |
| Mixed: White and Black African | 539 | 0.19% | 0.15% |
| Mixed: White and Asian | 1908 | 0.68% | 0.36% |
| Mixed: Other Mixed | 1218 | 0.44% | 0.30% |
| Asian or Asian British: Indian | 72033 | 25.73% | 1.99% |
| Asian or Asian British: Pakistani | 4276 | 1.53% | 1.37% |
| Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi | 1926 | 0.69% | 0.54% |
| Asian or Asian British: Other Asian | 5516 | 1.97% | 0.46% |
| Black or Black British: Caribbean | 4610 | 1.65% | 1.08% |
| Black or Black British: African | 3432 | 1.23% | 0.92% |
| Black or Black British: Other Black | 553 | 0.20% | 0.18% |
| Chinese | 1426 | 0.51% | 0.44% |
| Other Ethnic Groups | 904 | 0.32% | 0.42% |
During the course of the last 10 years, the size of the various ethnic minority communities in Leicester has grown considerably, but perhaps not as much as some have expected.
A direct comparison between 1991 and 2001 gives an increase of 24,200 (+31.4%) but you need to remember that this includes students from other parts the country.
In 1991, the population of Indian origin formed the largest single ethnic community group in the city, with 22.3% (60,300) of the total population. By 2001, this figure had grown to 25.7% (72,000). This figure ranks Leicester as having the largest Indian population of any local authority area in England and Wales.
Religion: Census 2001
| Leicester | Percent | England & Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian | 125187 | 44.72% | 71.75% |
| Buddhist | 638 | 0.23% | 0.28% |
| Hindu | 41248 | 14.74% | 1.06% |
| Jewish | 417 | 0.15% | 0.50% |
| Muslim | 30885 | 11.03% | 2.97% |
| Sikh | 11796 | 4.21% | 0.63% |
| Other religions | 1179 | 0.42% | 0.29% |
| No religion | 48789 | 17.43% | 14.81% |
| Religion not stated | 19782 | 7.07% | 7.71% |
The large population of Indian origin has resulted in Leicester having significantly high proportions of residents gaving their religion as Hindu, Sikh or Muslim. The national ranking placed Leicester as 3rd, 10th and 17th respectively for these three religions.
Leicester is fortunate in that it can make some comparisons over time, due the existence of the Survey of Leicester that took place in 1983. This gave the following percentages:
- Hindu 14%
- Muslim 4.3%
- Sikh 3.8%.
| Source: 2001 Census, Key Statistics © Crown Copyright Leicester City Council Area Profile Version 1.1 |