Factcheck LedgerReceipts, not verdicts
Request a check
Menu
Fact checks
Economy and money
Public services
Parliament and politics
Where you live
UK and the world
Data and tools

How we workEmail alertsRequest a check

Census: what it means

A count of every person and household in a country on a set day, usually held every ten years. The UK census is run separately in each nation.

A census attempts to count every person and household in a country at a single point in time, with questions on topics such as age, ethnicity, religion, health, housing and work. In the UK it is run separately: by the ONS in England and Wales and by NISRA in Northern Ireland (both held in March 2021), and by National Records of Scotland (held in March 2022).

Why it matters when checking a claim

  • Census day snapshot. Results describe the population on one day. The 2021 census took place during pandemic restrictions, which affected some topics, such as travel to work.
  • Not UK-wide on one date. Combining Scotland's 2022 results with the 2021 results for the rest of the UK mixes dates.
  • Population estimates update it. Between censuses, mid-year population estimates roll the figures forward.
  • Question wording changes between censuses, so check comparability notes.

See where to find UK census data.

Also searched as: census 2021, UK census, Scotland census 2022, census data

Official definitions: ONS: Census · Scotland's Census

Questions that use this term

Related terms

  • Mid-year population estimates: The official annual estimates of how many people live in the UK and each area on 30 June, used as denominators for most per-head figures.
  • Lower layer super output area (LSOA): A small statistical area in England and Wales, typically home to 1,000 to 3,000 people, used to publish local data such as deprivation and census results.
  • Great Britain and the United Kingdom: Great Britain is England, Scotland and Wales. The United Kingdom is Great Britain plus Northern Ireland. Some statistics cover only one or the other.
  • Survey sample: The group of people or businesses selected to take part in a survey, chosen so that their answers can be used to estimate figures for the whole population.

More statistics, surveys and quality terms: Accredited official statistics · Official statistics in development · Pre-release access · Survey sample · Response rate · Administrative data · Provisional figures · Revisions · Confidence interval · Statistical significance · Headline figure · Sample size.