Census 2021 results: How many people live in Leeds and how the city's population is changing

The census takes place every 10 years, with every household in the UK required to take part.

The latest snapshot of England and Wales was captured on March 21 2021.

Now the first results have been released – and there’s been a rise in the number of people living in Leeds.

On census day, 812,000 people were living in the area. This is an increase of eight per cent from 751,485 in 2011, when the last census was carried out.

It means the population density has grown to 1,472 usual residents per square kilometre, up from 1,362 in 2011.

The census is crucial for the UK’s statisticians to understand how our population is changing, and plays a vital role in how our public services and government operate.

It shows the balance of men and women in Leeds has changed over the past 10 years too.

Leeds’s population is now 48.8 per cent male and 51.2 per cent female, meaning there is now a slightly higher proportion of women in the area than 10 years ago.

In 2011, people living in Leeds were 49 per cent male and 51 per cent female.

It also shows the area has seen a rise in the proportion of both young children and the elderly.

A decade ago, the population was made up of 11.8 per cent under-10s and 14.6 per cent over-65s, but this had changed to 11.9 per cent and 15.6 per cent respectively by 2021.

Across England and Wales, the total population grew by 6.3 per cent over the past decade, from 56,075,912 in 2011 to 59,597,300 last year.

This included a 3.7 per cent increase in Yorkshire and the Humber, where the population rose to 5,480,800 from 5,283,733 in 2011.

There were 24.8 million households in England and Wales on census day 2021, up from 23.4 million in 2011, with an average of 2.4 people in each household – the same as in 2011.

Historic populations of Leeds

1981 - 696,714

1991 - 680,722

2001 - 715,406

2011 - 751,485

2021 - 812,000