Families in England and Wales: Census 2021

• More families had only non-dependent children in 2021 (17.1%) compared with 2011 (15.8%), while fewer families had dependent children (41.5%) compared with 2011 (43.0%); of all couple families, 41.3% had no children.

• A higher proportion of lone parents were aged 50 years and over in 2021 (41.8%) than in 2011 (33.4%) and fewer lone parents were aged 24 years and under in 2021 (3.6%), compared with 2011 (7.5%).

• Family reference persons who identified as "Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African: Caribbean" had the highest proportion of lone parents; over half were lone parents in 2021 (51.0%), an increase from 2011 (48.5%).

• In 2021, over half (52.4%) of children with a second parent or guardian's address usually lived in a single-family household that contained a female lone parent family, an increase from 44.8% in 2011.

• Half of all children with a second parental address lived within 5.0 kilometres (km) of their second parent or guardian's address and over three-quarters (77.7%) lived within 15.0km.

• A higher proportion of households were multi-generational in 2021 (2.1%) than 2011 (1.8%); household reference persons (HRP) who identified with "Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh" ethnic groups were more likely to live in multi-generational households, but less likely in 2021 than in 2011.

There were 16.9 million families in England and Wales in 2021, an increase of 7.3% from 2011 (15.8 million). In 2021, 81.3% of families were couples and 18.7% were lone parents. For a full definition of families, see Section 10: Glossary.

There were more families with only non-dependent children in 2021. Of all families with children, 29.2% had only non-dependent children, an increase from 2011 (26.9%), and 70.8% had at least one dependent child, a decrease from 2011 (73.1%).

Couple families with no children made up 41.3% of all families, unchanged from 2011. Most families (58.7%) had at least one child, similar to 2011 (58.8%). Of those with children, the majority (31.8% of all couple families) had at least one dependent child, a decrease from 2011 (33.7%) and the largest proportional decrease of all family types.

The decrease in the proportion of families with dependent children reflects England and Wales' lower birth rates, as shown in our Births in England and Wales: 2021 bulletin. The increase in non-dependent children living in families reflects trends seen in our Milestones: journeying into adulthood article. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may have also been a factor in non-dependent children remaining or returning to a parental home. Read more about non-dependent children in our More adults living with their parents article.

In this section, lone parent families refer to the family in which children are usually resident. In 2021, 85.9% of lone parents were female and 14.1% were male, similar to 2011 (85.6% female and 14.4% male).

Most lone parent families had at least one dependent child in 2021 (62.5%), a decrease from 2011 (67.4%). Lone parent families with only non-dependent children made up 37.5% of all lone parent families in 2021, an increase from 2011 (32.6%).

Figure 1: The proportion of lone parent families with only non-dependent children increased from 2011

Proportion of lone parent families with at least one dependent child, and with non-dependent children only, England and Wales, 2011 and 2021

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Age of lone parents

In 2021, 41.8% of lone parents were aged 50 years and over, an increase from 33.4% in 2011, while 3.6% were aged 24 years and under, a decrease from 7.5% in 2011.

Nearly one-third (32.5%) of lone parents with non-dependent children were aged 50 years and over in 2021, compared with a quarter (25.9%) in 2011. The proportion of lone parent families with dependent children who were aged 34 years and under decreased from 2011 from a quarter (25.3%) to just over a fifth (21.7%) in 2021.

Female lone parents tended to be younger than males in 2021. Just under a quarter (23.9%) of all female lone parents were aged 34 years and under, compared with 8.4% of male lone parents. For female lone parents, 76.0% were aged 35 years and over, compared with 91.6% of male lone parents.

Figure 2: Fewer lone parents were aged under 25 years in 2021 than in 2011, while more were aged over 50 years

Lone parent families by age group and sex as a proportion of all lone parent families by sex, England and Wales, 2011 and 2021

Notes:

1. Lone parents include step-parents who can be close in age to non-dependent children. This explains lone parents who are aged 24 years and under with non-dependent children.

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Ethnic group of lone parents

Family Reference Persons (FRPs) who identified as "Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African: Caribbean" had the highest proportion of lone parents (51.0% compared with 48.5% in 2011). Most ethnic groups saw a reduction in the proportion of FRPs who were lone parents, including all of the "Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups". Over half of FRPs who identified as "Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: White and Black Caribbean" and "Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African: Other Black" in 2011 were lone parents. This proportion decreased to less than half in 2021. For a full definition of FRPs, see Section 10: Glossary.

Figure 3: Over half of family reference persons who identified as “Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African: Caribbean” were lone parents

Proportion of family reference persons with ethnic group who were lone parents, England and Wales, 2011 and 2021

Notes:

1. The “White: Roma” ethnic group tick-box was introduced in 2021.

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FRPs who identified as "Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African: Caribbean" were more likely than any other ethnic group to be lone parents in families where all children were non-dependent (21.9%), an increase from 2011 (15.2%).

FRPs who were most likely to be lone parents of dependent children identified with "Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: White and Black Caribbean". Approximately 37.5% of all FRPs with this ethnic group were lone parents to at least one dependent child. This was a decrease from 2011 (44.1%).

Economic activity of lone parents

Most lone parents had an economic activity status of "In employment" in 2021 (55.2% of females and 58.1% of males). However, lone parents were more likely to be economically inactive than couple families with children.

While 9.3% of couple families with children were economically inactive in 2021, the rate was much higher for lone parents (40.5% of female lone parents and 37.6% of male lone parents). The proportion of lone parents with an economic activity status of "Unemployed" was the same for both females and males in 2021 (4.3%), compared with 1.1% of all couple families with children.

Figure 4: Lone parents were less likely to be working than family reference persons in couple families

Proportion of lone parents with economic activity status compared with family reference persons in couple families

Notes:

1. Percentages may not total 100% for each family type because of rounding.

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Health status of lone parent families

Lone parent families were more likely than couple families to have a health status of "bad" or "very bad" in 2021, particularly if they were a family where all children were non-dependent.

Figure 5: In 2021, a higher proportion of lone parents had bad or very bad health than the family reference person in couple families with children

Proportion of lone parents and family reference persons of couples with children by health status, England and Wales, 2021

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Children, in this section, are defined as being aged 0 to 17 years in households. In 2021, 5.0% (613,000) of children had a second parent or guardian's address that they stayed at for more than 30 days per year, an increase from 3.2% (384,000) in 2011. There has been an overall increase in the proportion of all people with another parent or guardian's address. For more information, see our Characteristics of people in England and Wales with a second address: Census 2021 article.

Characteristics of children with a second parent or guardian’s address

Age of children

The proportion of children in households that had a second parent or guardian's address has increased across all ages. The ages with the highest proportion of children with a second parent or guardian's address were aged 10 and 11 years. The largest proportion increase since 2011 was for children aged 8 and 9 years.

Figure 6: Children aged 10 and 11 years were most likely to have a second parent or guardian’s address

Proportion of children in households in each group with a second parent or guardian’s address in England and Wales, 2011 and 2021

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Ethnic group

Children who identified within "White" or "Mixed and Multiple" ethnic groups were most likely to have a second parent or guardian's address. The highest proportion of children who had a second parent or guardian's address were "White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British" (6.4% in 2021, 3.7% in 2011). The lowest proportions were within "Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh" ethnic groups.

Figure 7: Children who identified with “White” or “Mixed and Multiple” ethnic groups were more likely to have a second parent or guardian’s address

Proportion of children in households in each ethnic group who had a second parent or guardian’s address in England and Wales, 2011 and 2021

Notes:

1. The “White: Roma” ethnic group tick-box was introduced in 2021.

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Type of households of usual and second residence

Children have been linked to their second parental address to capture the characteristics of the household living there. This was only possible where the address information provided was detailed enough to link to a Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN). Approximately 89.5% (548,000) were successfully linked.

Nearly half (48.4%, 297,000) had the same second address as another child in their household; most are assumed to be siblings.

Figure 8: Over half of children with a second parent or guardian's address usually lived in female lone parent households

Usual address and second address household type of children with a second parent or guardian's address in England and Wales, Census 2021

Notes:

1. "Unlinked" include where the address provided did not include enough detail to link to a property and where there was no census response from the household at the second address.

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Children living in lone parent households

Over half (52.4%) of children with a second parent or guardian's address usually lived in a single-family household that contained a female lone parent family in 2021, an increase from 44.8% in 2011. Children in a male lone parent family household made up 11.3%, compared with 10.7% in 2011.

A third (33.0%) of children living in households containing a female lone parent family went to a household that contained a couple family (17.3% of all children with a second parent or guardian's address).

Nearly a third (30.7%) of children living in a female lone parent family had a second address that was a male living alone, whilst 12.3% went to a household with a male lone parent family.

Nearly half (47.0%) of children from male lone parent families had a second address that was a lone female parent family compared with only 8.3% going to a household containing one female. Meanwhile, 23.1% went to households that contained a single couple family.

Children who usually lived with a male lone parent were more likely to stay at a second address that was a lone parent household than those who lived with a female lone parent. The relationship between the children and people in the second address is unknown. The lone parent at the second address is expected to include parents and grandparents of the children.

Children usually resident in couple family households

Over a quarter (28.0%) of children with a second parent or guardian's address lived in a household containing a single couple family. This proportion decreased from 34.0% in 2011.

In 2021, 42.5% of children with a second parental address who were usually resident in a single couple household had a second address that consisted of a single couple family.

Nearly a fifth (17.3%) of children with a second parental address in couple households went to a one-person household containing an individual male, compared with only 3.2% going to a one-person household with an individual female. Like children usually resident in lone parent households, the proportion of children going to a lone female parent family is generally higher than those going to a male lone parent family. They are also more likely to go to a household containing a male living alone, compared with a household with a female living alone.

Other family households

Of children with a second parent or guardian address, 8.2% were usually resident in "other" households; these include households containing no couple or lone parent families and households containing multiple families. In 2021, the proportion of children with a second parent or guardian's address who lived in a household that contained multiple families was 2.5%, compared with 3.3% for all children. The proportion of children from a male lone parent family who lived in a multi-family household with a second parent or guardian's address was 1.0%, compared with 0.3% in female lone parent families.

Distance to second address

Half (50.0%) of children lived within 5.0 kilometres (km) of their second parental address in the UK, with 77.7% living within 15.0km. The average (mean) distance of children with a second parent or guardian's address between their usual address and second address in the UK was 15.8km.

Figure 9: Half (50.0%) of children's second parent or guardian's address in the UK were within 5km of their usual residence

Distance between children's usual address in England and Wales and a second address that was another parent or guardian's in the UK, 2021

Notes:

1. Distances are a straight line distance between the usual and second address.

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Multi-family households contain two (or more) families. The families in the household may be related or unrelated. For definitions of family types, see Section 10: Glossary.

Multi-family households accounted for 1.4% of all households in 2021, an increase from 1.2% in 2011.

Concealed families

Concealed families are couple or lone parent families living in multi-family households, where the Family Reference Person (FRP) is not the Household Reference Person (HRP).

Lone parent families were more likely to be concealed than couple families. In 2021, 1.8% of all couple families and 3.7% of all lone parent families were concealed.

Couple families with no children made up 48.0% of concealed families, an increase from 44.4% in 2011. Concealed couple families with no children were most likely to live in a couple family household (40.1%) than a lone parent household (7.9%). Concealed couples living in couple family households could be, for example, a couple living with one of the partner's parents. 

Lone parent families with dependent children accounted for 22.6% of all concealed families in 2021, a decrease from 2011 (29.0%). These families tended to live in couple family households (16.5%), though they were less likely to than in 2011 (20.9%). A smaller proportion lived in lone parent family households (6.0%), a decrease from 2011 (8.2%).

Figure 10: In 2021, a higher proportion of concealed families were couple families, and a lower proportion were lone parent families than in 2011

Proportion of concealed families living in primary (unconcealed) family households, England and Wales, 2011 and 2021

Notes:

1. Census estimates of couple families with children may differ slightly from other published estimates. This analysis considers the small number of couples who contain a dependent child living in a couple to be a couple with no children; others classify them as a couple family containing a dependent child.

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Age of FRP in concealed families

Of all families with an FRP aged 24 years and under, 14.3% were concealed, an increase from 2011 (12.7%). FRPs who were aged 24 years and under were more likely to be members of concealed couple families (15.0%) than concealed lone parent families (13.1%) in 2021, despite lone parent families being more likely to be concealed than couple families.

Figure 11: Family reference persons aged under 24 years were more likely to be concealed lone parents than in concealed couple families

Proportion of family reference persons of age group who were concealed families, England and Wales, 2011 and 2021

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Ethnic group of FRP in concealed family

Families with an FRP who identified as "Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh: Pakistani" were most likely to be concealed (10.3%), a decrease from 2011 (10.6%). Families with an FRP who identified as "White: Irish" were least likely to be concealed (1.2%), though this was a small increase from 2011 (1.0%).

The biggest proportional decrease in concealed families from 2011 was for FRPs who identified as "Asian, Asian British, or Asian Welsh: Bangladeshi". However, the "Asian, Asian British, or Asian Welsh" category had some of the highest proportions of concealed families in 2021 overall.

Figure 12: Family reference persons who identified with an “Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh” ethnic group were most likely to be concealed in 2021, but less likely than in 2011

Proportion of family reference persons who identified with that ethnic group that were in concealed families, England and Wales, 2011 and 2021

Notes:

1. The “White: Roma” ethnic group tick-box was introduced in 2021.

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In 2021, 2.1% of households in England and Wales were multi-generational, an increase from 2011 (1.8%). The proportion of multi-generational households containing one or more carers decreased from 40.3% in 2011 to 35.9% in 2021.

Ethnic group

Household Reference Persons (HRPs) who identified within "Asian, Asian British, Asian Welsh" ethnic groups were the most likely to live in multi-generational households, though less likely in 2021 than in 2011. HRPs from all other ethnic groups were more likely to live in multi-generational households in 2021 than in 2011.

Figure 13: Household reference persons with ethnic groups other than “Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh” were more likely to live in multi-generational households in 2021 than in 2011

Proportion of household reference persons with ethnic group that lived in multi-generational households, England and Wales, 2011 and 2021

Notes:

1. The “White: Roma” ethnic group tick-box was introduced in 2021.

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In 2021, 1.7% of all couple families were same-sex, an increase from 2011 (1.5%). Of all same-sex families, 52.6% were male and 47.4% were female. In same-sex families, 23.9% of female couples and 6.5% of male couples had children. In comparison, 39.7% of all opposite sex couple families had children.

Figure 14: Most same-sex families had no children, with female couples more likely to have dependent children than males

Proportion of same-sex families with children, England and Wales, 2021

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In 2021, 60.4% of all same-sex families with children were cohabiting couples, a large decrease from 87.0%. This is likely because of the introduction of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act in 2013.

Figure 15: Most same-sex parents were female; a higher proportion were married or in a civil partnership in 2021 than were in a civil partnership in 2011

Proportion of same-sex families with children by legal partnership status, England and Wales, 2011 and 2021

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Same-sex families, overall, had a higher proportion of younger dependent children than opposite-sex couples and lone parents.

Figure 16: Same-sex families had a higher proportion of younger dependent children than other family types

Age distribution of dependent children in same-sex families and other families, England and Wales, 2021

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Religious affiliation of FRP in same-sex families

Over half (54.7%), of all same-sex Family Reference Persons (FRPs) reported "No religion" on their census form in 2021, an increase from 2011 (35.6%). The largest proportional decrease was seen in people who identified as "Christian"; 34.6% of same-sex FRPs reported this category, a decrease from 47.8% in 2011.

Of all FRPs with a religious affiliation, the most likely to be same-sex were those who reported "Other religion" (4.1% in 2021 and 1.8% in 2011). This was followed by people who identified as "Buddhist", where 3.4% were same-sex families (an increase from 2.3% in 2011). FRPs who identified as "Buddhist" were slightly more likely to be male same-sex families (1.9%) than female (1.4%). FRPs in same-sex families were least likely to have identified as "Hindu", "Sikh" or "Muslim".

Figure 17: Family reference persons who identified as "Hindu", "Sikh" and "Muslim" were least likely to be same-sex families in 2021

Proportion of family reference persons with religious affiliation that were same-sex families, England and Wales, 2011 and 2021

Notes:

1. The “White: Roma” ethnic group tick-box was introduced in 2021.

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Religious groups in England and Wales have different age and sex structures. For more information, see our Religion by age and sex, England and Wales: Census 2021 article.

Ethnic group of FRP in same-sex families

In 2021, same-sex families were most common among FRPs who identified as "Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Other Mixed" (2.8%), a small decrease from 2011 (3.0%).

The only three ethnic groups where FRPs were more likely to be in a same-sex family in 2021 than 2011 are "White: Irish", "White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British" and "Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: White and Asian". FRPs in all other ethnic groups were less likely to be in same-sex families in 2021 than in 2011.

Figure 18: Family reference persons who identified as “Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: Other Mixed” were most likely to be same-sex families

Proportion of family reference persons with ethnic group who were same-sex families, England and Wales, 2011 and 2021

Notes:

1. The “White: Roma” ethnic group tick-box was introduced in 2021.

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Ethnic groups in England and Wales have different age and sex structures. For more information, see our Ethnic group by age and sex, England and Wales: Census 2021 article.

Figure 19: Explore where in England and Wales each family type live

Interactive map showing the proportion of families that are lone parent or same-sex families, households that are multi-family or multi-generational households, and children (aged under 18 years in households) who have a second parent or guardians address in local authorities in England and Wales, 2021

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Family

A family is a married, civil partnered, or cohabiting couple with or without children, or a lone parent with at least one child who lives in the same household. Children can be dependent or non-dependent. A family can have a mixture of dependent and non-dependent children. All families have a Family Reference Person (FRP).

Family Reference Person (FRP)

An FRP is identified by criteria based on the family make up. In a lone parent family, it is taken to be the lone parent. In a couple family, the FRP is chosen from the two people in the couple based on their economic activity (in the priority order: full-time job, part-time job, unemployed, retired, other). If both people have the same economic activity, the FRP is identified as the elder of the two or, if they are the same age, the first member of the couple on the form.

Dependent child

A dependent child is a person aged 0 to 15 years or a person aged 16 to 18 years who is in full-time education and lives in a family with their parent, parents, grandparent or grandparents. It does not include any person aged 16 to 18 years who has a spouse, partner or child living in the household.

Non-dependent child

Sometimes called "adult children", a non-dependent child is a person living with their parent(s) and who is either aged 19 years or over and has no spouse, partner or child living in the household, or aged 16 to 18 years and who is not in full-time education and has no spouse, partner or child living in the household.

Household Reference Person (HRP)

A person who serves as a reference point, mainly based on economic activity and age, to characterise a whole household. The person is not necessarily the member of the household in whose name the accommodation is owned or rented.

Multi-family household

A multi-family household is a household that consists of two or more families. The families can be:

• unrelated (for example, two unrelated couples sharing a house)

• related and multi-generational (for example, cohabiting couple plus children and elderly parents, or married couple plus their teenage daughter and her child)

• related but not multi-generational (for example, cohabiting couple plus son and girlfriend, or two brothers and their partners sharing a house)

Concealed family

Concealed families are couple or lone parent families living in multi-family households, where the FRP is not the Household Reference Person (HRP). This entry includes an example.

George and Amy live at the same address as their daughter, Emily, and her husband and daughter. Because Emily is not a dependent child and has her own family, there are two families in this household.

Family one are husband George and wife Amy. George is the Family Reference Person (FRP). Family two are daughter Emily, husband Simon and their daughter Eve. Emily is the FRP. As there is more than one family in the household, the FRPs are prioritised to decide who is the HRP. In this household, George is the HRP.

This means that Emily's family is a "concealed family". Their HRP is George, and they will be included as part of his household in relevant outputs.

Multi-generational family household

A multi-generational family household is a household where people from across more than two generations of the same extended family live together. This includes households with grandparents and grandchildren, whether or not the intervening generation also live in the household.

Usual resident

A usual resident is anyone who, on Census Day, 21 March 2021, was in the UK and had stayed or intended to stay in the UK for a period of 12 months or more, or had a permanent UK address and was outside the UK and intended to be outside the UK for less than 12 months.

Lone parent family

A family with one male or female parent living with one or more dependent or non-dependent children.

Religion

The religion people connect or identify with (their religious affiliation), whether or not they practise or have belief in it.

This question was voluntary, and the variable includes people who answered the question, including "No religion", alongside those who chose not to answer this question.

For more information, see our Religion, England and Wales: Census 2021 bulletin.

Ethnic group

The ethnic group that the person completing the census feels they belong to. This could be based on their culture, family background, identity, or physical appearance.

Respondents could choose one out of 19 tick-box response categories, including write-in response options.

For more information, see our Ethnic group, England and Wales: Census 2021 bulletin.

Reference date

Census 2021 provides estimates of the characteristics of all people and households in England and Wales on Census Day, 21 March 2021. It is carried out every 10 years and gives us the most accurate estimate of all of the people and households in England and Wales.

We are responsible for carrying out the census in England and Wales but will also release outputs for the UK in partnership with the Welsh Government, the National Records of Scotland (NRS), and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). The census in Northern Ireland was also conducted on 21 March 2021, whereas Scotland's census was moved to 20 March 2022. All UK census offices are working closely together to understand how this difference in reference dates will affect the UK-wide population and housing statistics, in terms of both timing and scope.

Distance between usual and second address

Distance is calculated, in kilometres, as the distance of a straight line between the postcode of the respondent's address of usual residence and the postcode of the respondent's second address. The distance is calculated for people with a second address in the UK only.

Response rate

The person response rate is the number of usual residents for whom individual details were provided on a returned questionnaire, divided by the estimated usual resident population.

The person response rate for Census 2021 was 97% of the usual resident population of England and Wales, and over 88% in all local authorities. Most returns (89%) were received online. The response rate exceeded our target of 94% overall and 80% in all local authorities.

We will publish further information on question-specific response rates in a separate report later this year.

Quality of Census 2021

Quality considerations, along with the strengths and limitations of Census 2021 more generally, are provided in our Quality and methodology information (QMI) for Census 2021. Read more about the specific quality considerations for demography and migration in our Demography and migration quality information for Census 2021 methodology.

Further information on our quality assurance processes is provided in our Maximising the quality of Census 2021 population estimates methodology.

Differences between census and survey sources for family data

The figures published from Census 2021 are likely to differ from those published in our regular families and household publications for a number of reasons. Census data refers to a point in time, whereas survey data are accumulated over a period of three months. Census is self-completed, whereas surveys are interviewer led. Census covers nearly all of the the population with only a small amount of estimation, whereas surveys are weighted up from a sample to be representative. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the data collection and weighting methodology of the Labour Force Survey (LFS). Weighted survey data results from this period are also likely to be changed once the full rebasing of the population for the United Kingdom has been completed.