Demography of the United Kingdom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
See also: Demography of England; Demography and politics of Northern Ireland; Demography of Scotland; Demography of Wales
According to the 2001 census, the United Kingdom's population was 58,789,194 - the third-largest in the European Union (behind Germany and metropolitan France) and the 21st-largest in the world. Its overall population density is one of the highest in the world. Almost one-third of the population lives in England's southeast and is predominantly urban and suburban, with about 7.7 million in the capital of London. The United Kingdom's high literacy rate (99%) is attributable to universal public education introduced for the primary level in 1870 and secondary level in 1900 (except in Scotland where it was introduced in 1696[citation needed]). Education is compulsory from the ages of 5 to 16. About one-fifth of British students go on to post-secondary education (18+). The Church of England and the Church of Scotland function as the official national churches in their respective countries, but the major religions found in the world are represented in the United Kingdom.
The majority of British people are white, and located as they are on a group of islands close to continental Europe, the British Isles have been subject to many invasions and migrations, especially from Scandinavia and the continent, including Roman occupation for several centuries. Contemporary Britons are descended mainly from the varied ethnic stocks that settled there before the 11th century. The pre-Celtic, Celtic, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse influences were blended in Britain under the Normans, who had lived in Northern France. Although Celtic languages are also spoken in Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, and Northern Ireland, the predominant language is English, which is a West Germanic language descended from Old English, and featuring a large amount of borrowings from Norman French.
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[edit] History
The first national census of the British population was organised in 1801; the civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths commenced in 1837; and the first tentative attempt by the state to compile statistics on migration was included in the census of 1841. Prior to 1801, the chief source of information on the demography of the country was provided by the clergy’s registration of baptisms, marriages, and burials that had occurred in their parishes, supplemented by information on mortality in the Bills of Mortality that were published for certain large towns and by inferences drawn from various counts of taxpayers. The article focuses on the reliability of the parochial registration system and the way in which it was exploited by the state as measured against the state’s objectives for establishing it in 1538. These objectives were rarely achieved. By the end of the 18th century, the parish registers were falling short of providing a national system of registration. Neither had the registers at any time provided the requisite detail to allow the verification of age, lineal descent, or right of inheritance. They had not been used as a way of raising revenue except briefly between 1694 and 1705. Moreover, the Anglican Church was extremely lax about the enforcement of its own regulations regarding the appropriate time for registering baptisms, burials, and marriages.
Three sets of demographic statistics are useful to governments and others concerned with their nations’ political and economic stability. The first is an enumeration of the number of inhabitants distinguished by age, sex, and occupation. The second involves a continuous record of population trends from the registration of births, marriages, and burials. The third is documentation of the extent of internal and external migration. Before 1800, England had none of these except for the civil registration of births, marriages, and burials briefly attempted under the Commonwealth (1653–1660) and an even more short-lived initiative of the same kind in 1694 in connection with the attempt to raise a tax on the occasion of every birth, marriage, and death—paupers excepted.
The ability of the registration system to fulfil these original objectives can be measured in terms of the breadth of its coverage and the quality of the information provided. Each category can be further subdivided. For example, the breadth of coverage can be defined to include the speed with which parishes throughout the country commenced the registration of baptisms, marriages, and burials; the percentage of the population whose vital events went unrecorded even in the parishes that established registers; and the success of the incumbents and churchwardens in preserving the registers completed by their predecessors. The quality of the recording can be assessed based on the amount of information offered about individuals mentioned in the registers, the extent to which that information was provided in a standard form across the country, and the clarity of the presentation (whether separate registers for baptisms, marriages, and burials were maintained). The accuracy of the work undertaken by the parochial clergy as unpaid servants of the state in providing Rickman with the totals of baptisms, marriages, and burials can also be assessed. Each of these aspects will now be considered in turn before an assessment of the overall effectiveness of the registration system is attempted. Cromwell’s brief instructions establishing the registration system did not specify what sort of register book was to be provided. Not unnaturally, most parishes chose to use paper rather than the dearer, but more durable, parchment. In 1597, the Convocation of the clergy, bishops, and archbishop of the province of Canterbury found it necessary to order parchment copies of all entries from old paper registers, instructions that were soon reissued in 1603.
[edit] Population
See also: Population of England.
The population of the United Kingdom in the 2001 census was 58,789,194. This has risen to 59,834,300 according to July 2004 estimates. This has since risen to 60,587,000 according to mid-2006 estimates by the Office of National Statistics [1].
| Part | Population (mid-2006) | % (mid-2006) |
|---|---|---|
| England | 50,762,900 | 83.8 |
| Scotland | 5,116,900 | 8.4 |
| Wales | 2,965,900 | 4.9 |
| Northern Ireland | 1,741,600 | 2.9 |
| United Kingdom | 60,587,000 | 100 |
(1 July 2006 population estimates by UK National Statistics)[2]
There are 11 cities which exceed 300,000 inhabitants, these being London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Cardiff and Coventry. Cities with urban areas in excess of 300,000 inhabitants include Nottingham, Leicester, Belfast, Southampton and Newcastle Upon Tyne.
[edit] Age structure
The most numerous age groups (at the 2001 census) were the 5-year group born in the years 1946-51 (the post-World War II baby boom); the baby boom born a generation later in 1961-66 (the largest group of all); and a more modest boom a generation after that, born in 1986-91. [3] The 1946-51 group reaches retirement age from 2006 onwards (women from 2006 and men from 2011), and the sudden increase in the number of people claiming the state pension has led politicians and political commentators to fear a "pensions crisis".
The age groups are not evenly distributed around the country, with some areas having many young adults and children [4] and some areas having large numbers of older people. [5]
| Age group | Population | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | ||
| 0–14 | 5,560,489 | 5,293,871 | 18.0 |
| 15–64 | 20,193,876 | 19,736,516 | 66.3 |
| 65+ | 4,027,721 | 5,458,235 | 15.7 |
[edit] Fertility
In 2006 the UK's total fertility rate (TFR) was 1.84 children per woman, below the replacement rate of 2.1. In 2001, the TFR was at a record low of 1.63, but it has increased each year since. The TFR was considerably higher during the 1960s 'baby boom', peaking at 2.95 children per woman in 1964.[1] TFR varies widely across the UK, standing at 1.94 in Northern Ireland, 1.67 in Scotland, and 1.86 in England and Wales.
The TFR for British residents also varies by country of birth. In England and Wales in 2006, people born in the UK had a TFR of 1.67, India 2.21 and Pakistan and Bangladesh 4.90, for example.[2]
[edit] Ethnicity
[edit] Citizenship
noun
- Briton(s), British (collective plural), Brit (colloquially)
adjective
- British
[edit] Nationality
- Further information: Briton#British identity
[edit] England
noun
- Englishman/woman, English (collective plural)
adjective
- English
Residents of England tend to refer to themselves either as "British" and/or "English" depending on religious and political convictions.
[edit] Scotland
noun
- Scot(s), Scotsman/woman, Scottish (collective plural)
adjective
- Scottish, Scots
Residents of Scotland tend to refer to themselves either as "British" and/or "Scottish" depending on religious and political convictions.
[edit] Wales
noun
- Welshman/woman, Welsh (collective plural)
adjective
- Welsh
Residents of Wales tend to refer to themselves either as "British" and/or "Welsh" depending on religious and political convictions.
[edit] Northern Ireland
noun
- Northern Irishman/woman, Northern Irish (collective plural)
adjective
- Northern Irish
Residents of Northern Ireland tend to refer to themselves either as "British", "Irish" or "Northern Irish"/"Ulster", depending on religious and political convictions.
[edit] Ethnic groups
From the 2001 UK Census:
| Ethnic group | Population | % of total* |
|---|---|---|
| White British | 50,366,497 | 85.67% | White (other) | 3,096,169 | 5.27% | Indian | 1,053,411 | 1.8% | Pakistani | 747,285 | 1.3% | Mixed race | 677,117 | 1.2% | White Irish | 691,232 | 1.2% | Black Caribbean | 565,876 | 1.0% | Black African | 485,277 | 0.8% | Bangladeshi | 283,063 | 0.5% | Other Asian (non-Chinese) | 247,644 | 0.4% | Chinese | 247,403 | 0.4% | Other | 230,615 | 0.4% | Black (others) | 97,585 | 0.2% |
| * Percentage of total UK population | ||
[edit] Religion
The traditional religion in the United Kingdom is Christianity. In England the established church is the Church of England (Anglican) whilst in Scotland it is the Church of Scotland (a Presbyterian Church). In Wales there is no established church, with the Church in Wales being disestablished in 1920. Likewise, in Northern Ireland the Church of Ireland was disestablished in 1871. In Northern Ireland and similarly in parts of Scotland, there is a sectarian divide between Roman Catholic and Protestant communities.
The table below shows the most recent census data regarding religious belief:[3]
| Religion | Number | % |
|---|---|---|
| Christian | 42,079,000 | 71.6% |
| Muslim | 1,591,000 | 2.7% |
| Hindu | 559,000 | 1.0% |
| Sikh | 336,000 | 0.6% |
| Jewish | 267,000 | 0.5% |
| Buddhist | 152,000 | 0.3% |
| Other religion | 179,000 | 0.3% |
| Not stated | 4,289,000 | 7.3% |
| No religion | 9,104,000 | 15.5% |
| Total religious | 45,163,000 | 76.8% |
Although the Census 2001 also recorded 390,000 Jedi Knights, making Jedi the fourth-largest "religion" in the UK, this does not confer them any official recognition.
Also, a Eurobarometer survey shown that 65% of Britons do not believe in a god, although many still call themselves Christians for traditional reasons.
See also: Status of religious freedom in the United Kingdom, Islam in the United Kingdom, Hinduism in the United Kingdom, Sikhism in the United Kingdom Judaism in the United Kingdom
[edit] Languages
The United Kingdom has no official language. The dominant language, spoken as a first language by 95% of the population is English. Scots is spoken by around 1.5 million people in Scotland and 30,000 in Northern Ireland, where it is called Ulster Scots. Welsh is spoken by around 610,000 people. Scottish Gaelic is spoken by about 60,000 speakers, mostly in Scotland. Cornish is spoken by around 2,500 people. Irish is spoken by about 106,844 speakers in Northern Ireland. The Polish minority in the United Kingdom estimated over 600,000 people speak mostly Polish language at homes, Polish Britons are mainly Polish-born immigrants to the UK.
[edit] Education
Broadly speaking, there are two educational systems in the United Kingdom: one covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland and another in Scotland. English, Welsh and Northern Irish students tend to sit a small number of more advanced examinations and Scottish students tend to sit a larger number of less advanced examinations. It should be noted that local English practice can vary from this general picture although across Scotland the system is well nigh universal.
Children are generally given a free education between the age of 5 and 16 across the United Kingdom, though in different areas they may start earlier or finish later. In some areas students also have the opportunity to enter selective education (Grammar Schools) though this is not universal and has its critics.
The UK also has three of the oldest universities in the world at Oxford, Cambridge and St Andrews.
Although education in the United Kingdom is universal for all, achievement in British Education still tends to be better for higher social classes.
Literacy definition
- age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling
Literacy - total population
- 99% (2000 est.)
[edit] See also
- Geography of the United Kingdom
- Population of England - historical estimates
- Citizen Information Project proposals for a national population register
- Office for National Statistics
- UK Census
- UK topics
[edit] References
- ^ Fertility: UK fertility highest since 1980. Office for National Statistics (2007-08-22). Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
- ^ Charles F. Westoff and Tomas Frejka, Fertility and religiousness among European Muslims, 21 February 2007, accessed 22 September 2007
- ^ 2001 census data (by ethnicity)
- This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.
- Census 2001. Religion in Britain. Retrieved on September 6, 2005.
- Census 2001. 390,000 Jedis There Are. Retrieved on September 6, 2005.
- Census 2001 website
- Abstract (1833). Abstract of the Answers and Returns made pursuant to an act passed in the eleventh year of the reign of His MajestyKing George IV intituled an act for taking an account of the population of Great Britain, and the increase and diminution thereof. Population Register Abstract 1831. British Parliamentary Papers, 38.
- Arkell, T. (1992). An examination of the poll taxes of the late seventeenth century, the Marriage Duty Act and Gregory King.
- K. Schurer, & T. Arkell (Eds.), Surveying the people. The interpretation and use of document sources for the study of population in the late seventeenth century ( pp. 142–177). Oxford: Leopard’s Hill Press.
- Boulton, J. (1992). The Marriage Duty Act and parochial registration in London, 1695–1706. In K. Schurer, & T. Arkell (Eds.), Surveying the people. The interpretation and use of document sources for the study of population in the late seventeenth century ( pp. 222–252). Oxford: Leopard’s Hill Press.
- Boulton, J. (1993). Clandestine marriage in London: an examination of the neglected urban variable. Urban History, 20,
191–210.
[edit] External links
- Population Trends
- Social Trends
- Population and migration Office for National Statistics
Ethnic Communities in the United Kingdom | |
|---|---|
| British Islander | Briton · Cornish · English · Irish/Irish Briton (Traveller · Ulster-Scots) · Scottish · Welsh |
| European | Armenian · Austrian · Baltic · Belgian · Bulgarian · Cypriot · Dutch · French · German · Greek · Hungarian · Italian · Polish · Portuguese · Russian · Scandinavian (Danish · Finnish · Icelandic · Norwegian · Swedish) · Slovak · Spanish · Swiss · Turkish · Ukrainian · Yugoslav (Croatian · Serbian · Slovenian) |
| South Asian | South Asian · Afghan · Bangladeshi · Indian · Maldivian · Nepali · Pakistani · Sri Lankan |
| African | African · Congoan · Ethiopian · Ghanaian · Kenyan · Nigerian · Senegalese · Somali · South African · Ugandan · Zambian · Zimbabwean |
| Arab | Arab · Egyptian · Iraqi · Lebanese · Moroccan · Palestinian · Syrian · Yemeni |
| Far Eastern | Oriental · Burmese · Chinese · Filipino · Japanese · Korean · Malaysian · Singaporean · Thai · Vietnamese |
| Caribbean | African-Caribbean · Barbadian · Grenadian · Kittitian and Nevisian · Jamaican · Saint Lucian · Trinidadian and Tobagonian |
| Latin American | Latin American · Argentine · Brazilian · Chilean · Colombian · Cuban · Ecuadorian · Mexican · Peruvian · Venezuelan |
| North American | US · Canadian |
| Oceanic | Australian · New Zealander · Pacific Islander |
| Other | Iranian · Jewish · Romnichal |
| UK Census Groups | White† (White British‡ · Other White‡) · Mixed · Asian · Black · Chinese or other |
| †White Irish appears separately in Great Britain. White Scottish appears separately in Scotland. ‡ Does not appear in Northern Ireland. | |
Demographics of Europe | |
|---|---|
| Sovereign states | Albania · Andorra · Armenia1 · Austria · Azerbaijan2 · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus1 · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Georgia2 · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Italy · Kazakhstan2 · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Republic of Macedonia · Malta · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia3 · San Marino · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey3 · Ukraine · United Kingdom (England · Scotland · Northern Ireland · Wales) · Vatican City |
| Dependencies, autonomies, and other territories | Abkhazia2 · Adjara1 · Akrotiri and Dhekelia · Åland · Azores · Crimea · Faroe Islands · Gagauzia · Gibraltar · Guernsey · Jan Mayen · Jersey · Kosovo · Isle of Man · Madeira4 · Nagorno-Karabakh1 · Nakhchivan1 · South Ossetia2 · Svalbard · Transnistria · Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus1, 5 |
1 Entirely in Southwest Asia; included here because of cultural, political and historical association with Europe. 2 Partially or entirely in Asia, depending on the definition of the border between Europe and Asia. 3 Mostly in Asia. 4 Entirely in the African Plate, included here because of cultural, political and historical association with Europe. 5 Only recognised by Turkey. | |
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