About censuses

A census is a count of people and households, and is used to set policies and estimate resources required to provide services for the population.

  • What is a census?

    A census in the UK is a count of all people and households. The latest census in the UK was held on 27 March 2011.

  • Methods of census taking

    Describes a traditional census, rolling census, and short forms. The countries of the UK use a traditional approach with forms returned by post or online.

  • Census history

    The 2011 Census was the twenty-first full census in Great Britain. Discover the ancient origins of the census and its history to the present day.

  • Family history resources

    The Office for National Statistics holds personal census information securely for 100 years. The National Archives will release the 1911 census records in 2012.

A census is a count of people and households, and is used to set policies and estimate the resources required to provide services for the population.

This section briefly describes methods of census taking, the history of censuses, and provides links to family history resources.