How life has changed in Runnymede: Census 2021

The population passed 88,000

Between the last two censuses (held in 2011 and 2021), the population of Runnymede increased by 9.4%, from just over 80,500 in 2011 to around 88,100 in 2021.

The population here increased by a greater percentage than the overall population of the South East (7.5%), and by a greater percentage than the overall population of England (up 6.6% since the 2011 Census).

In 2021, Runnymede was home to around 8.1 people per football pitch-sized piece of land, compared with 7.4 in 2011. This area was among the top 45% most densely populated English local authority areas at the last census.

This article generally uses percentages to enable comparisons over time and between areas. The percentage point change is also used to show the difference between the 2011 and 2021 percentages.

Population growth was higher in Runnymede than across the South East

Percentage population change, Runnymede and surrounding areas, 2011 Census to Census 2021

Median age stable in Runnymede

The latest census data also show that the average (median) age remained 39 years in Runnymede between the last two censuses.

This area had a lower average (median) age than the South East as a whole in 2021 (41 years) and a slightly lower average (median) age than England (40 years).

The median age is the age of the person in the middle of the group, meaning that one half of the group is younger than that person and the other half is older.

The number of people aged 50 to 64 years rose by around 2,200 (an increase of 15.2%), while the number of residents between 35 and 49 years fell by just over 250 (1.5% decrease).

The share of residents aged between 50 and 64 years increased by 0.9 percentage points between 2011 and 2021

Family in Runnymede

The percentage of households including a couple with dependent children increased in Runnymede, but fell across the South East.

In Runnymede, the percentage of households including a couple with dependent children rose from 20.8% in 2011 to 21.2% in 2021. During the same period, the regional percentage fell from 21.0% to 20.6%.

The percentage of households including a couple without children in Runnymede fell from 18.0% to 16.7%, while the percentage of households including a couple with only non-dependent children increased from 6.2% to 6.4%.

The percentage of households including a couple with dependent children in Runnymede increased by 0.5 percentage points

More adults never married or in a civil partnership

Runnymede saw the South East's joint second-largest percentage-point rise (alongside Thanet) in the proportion of people aged 16 years and over who had never been married or in a civil partnership (from 35.5% in 2011 to 39.7% in 2021).

Across the region, only Swale saw a greater rise in the percentage of people aged 16 years and over who had never been married or in a civil partnership (from 31.3% to 36.2%).

Every local authority area across the South East saw a rise in the percentage of people aged 16 years and over who had never been married or in a civil partnership, as the regional percentage grew from 31.9% to 34.8%.

These figures include same-sex marriages and opposite-sex civil partnerships in 2021, neither of which were legally recognised in England and Wales in 2011. Same-sex marriages have been legally recognised in England and Wales since 2014 and opposite-sex civil partnerships have been recognised since 2019.

The percentage of adults who had never married or registered a civil partnership in Runnymede increased by 4.3 percentage points

Rise in private renting

Of Runnymede households, 19.1% rented privately in 2021, up from 15.2% in 2011.

The percentage that lived in socially rented housing remained at 12.9%, while the percentage of Runnymede households that owned their home (outright or with a mortgage or loan) decreased from 69.5% to 66.4%.

The increase in the percentage of privately-rented homes was greater in Runnymede (3.9 percentage points) than across the South East (2.9 percentage points, from 16.3% to 19.2%). Across England, the percentage increased by 3.6 percentage points, from 16.8% to 20.5%.

Private renting in Runnymede increased by 3.9 percentage points

Unpaid care in Runnymede

In 2021, 4.4% of Runnymede residents (aged five years and over) reported providing up to 19 hours of unpaid care each week. This figure decreased from 7.2% in 2011. These are age-standardised proportions.

Age-standardised proportions are used throughout this section. They enable comparisons between populations over time and across geographies, as they account for differences in the population size and age structure.

In 2021, 1.4% of residents (aged five years and over) reported providing between 20 and 49 hours of unpaid care each week, compared with 1.1% in 2011. The proportion of Runnymede residents (aged five years and over) that provided at least 50 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.9% to 2.4%.

The decrease in the proportion of people (aged five years and over) providing up to 19 hours of weekly unpaid care in Runnymede (2.8 percentage points) was similar to the decrease across the South East (2.8 percentage points, from 7.3% to 4.5%). Across England, the proportion fell by 2.8 percentage points, from 7.2% to 4.4%.

Census 2021 was undertaken during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This may have influenced how people perceived and managed their provision of unpaid care, and therefore may have affected how people chose to respond.

Caution should be taken when making comparisons between 2011 and 2021 because of changes in question wording and response options.

The percentage of people (aged five years and over) providing up to 19 hours of weekly unpaid care in Runnymede decreased by 2.8 percentage points

Ethnic groups in Runnymede

In 2021, 9.2% of Runnymede residents identified their ethnic group within the "Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh" category, up from 6.9% in 2011. The 2.3 percentage-point change was the largest increase among high-level ethnic groups in this area.

Across the South East, the percentage of people from the "Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh" ethnic group increased from 5.2% to 7.0%, while across England the percentage increased from 7.8% to 9.6%.

In 2021, 83.5% of people in Runnymede identified their ethnic group within the "White" category (compared with 89.0% in 2011), while 3.5% identified their ethnic group within the "Mixed or Multiple" category (compared with 2.1% the previous decade).

The percentage of people who identified their ethnic group within the "Other" category ("Arab" or "Any other ethnic group") increased from 1.0% in 2011 to 1.9% in 2021.

There are many factors that may be contributing to the changing ethnic composition of England and Wales, such as differing patterns of ageing, fertility, mortality, and migration. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals chose to self-identify between censuses.

In 2021, 9.2% of usual residents in Runnymede identified their ethnic group within the "Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh" category

Religion in Runnymede

In 2021, 34.8% of Runnymede residents reported having "No religion", up from 24.0% in 2011. The rise of 10.8 percentage points was the largest increase of all broad religious groups in Runnymede. Because the census question about religious affiliation is voluntary and has varying response rates, caution is needed when comparing figures between different areas or between censuses.

Across the South East, the percentage of residents who described themselves as having "No religion" increased from 27.7% to 40.2%, while across England the percentage increased from 24.8% to 36.7%.

In 2021, 50.4% of people in Runnymede described themselves as Christian (down from 63.4%), while 6.9% did not state their religion (down from 7.2% the decade before).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as a changing age structure or residents relocating for work or education. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals chose to self-identify between censuses. Religious affiliation is the religion with which someone connects or identifies, rather than their beliefs or religious practice.

In 2021, 34.8% of usual residents in Runnymede reported having "No religion"

Runnymede residents' country of birth

In the latest census, around 68,500 Runnymede residents said they were born in England. This represented 77.8% of the local population. The figure has risen from just under 64,600 in 2011, which at the time represented 80.2% of Runnymede's population.

India was the next most represented, with around 1,700 Runnymede residents reporting this country of birth (1.9%). This figure was up from around 1,000 in 2011, which at the time represented 1.2% of the population of Runnymede.

The number of Runnymede residents born in Scotland fell from just under 1,200 in 2011 (1.4% of the local population) to just under 1,000 in 2021 (1.1%).

In 2021, 77.8% of Runnymede residents reported their country of birth as England

Health in Runnymede

In 2021, 51.2% of Runnymede residents described their health as "very good", increasing from 49.6% in 2011. Those describing their health as "good" fell from 34.8% to 34.1%. These are age-standardised proportions.

Age-standardised proportions are used throughout this section. They enable comparisons between populations over time and across geographies, as they account for differences in the population size and age structure.

The proportion of Runnymede residents describing their health as "very bad" remained 0.8%, while those describing their health as "bad" fell from 3.2% to 2.9%.

These data reflect people’s own opinions in describing their overall health on a five point scale, from very good to very bad.

Census 2021 was conducted during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This may have influenced how people perceived and rated their health, and therefore may have affected how people chose to respond.

In 2021, 0.8% of usual residents said their health was very bad in Runnymede

National identity in Runnymede

In 2021, 11.4% of Runnymede residents did not identify with any national identity associated with the UK. This figure was at a similar level in 2011 (11.3%).

In 2021, just over 1 in 40 people (2.8%) identified with a UK and non-UK national identity, compared with 1.5% in 2011. The percentage of residents in Runnymede that identified as "British only" increased from 17.2% to 54.6%.

The percentage of people who did not identify with any national identity associated with the UK increased from 7.1% to 8.7% across the South East. Across England, the percentage increased from 8.2% to 10.0%.

In Census 2021, “British” was moved to the top response option and this may have influenced how people described their national identity. For further information, please see our quality report.

In 2021, 11.4% of usual residents did not identify with any national identity associated with the UK in Runnymede

Unemployment in Runnymede

In 2021, 2.5% of Runnymede residents (aged 16 years and over) said they were unemployed. This figure was at a similar level in 2011 (2.4%).

Runnymede saw the South East's joint third-largest rise (alongside Elmbridge) in the percentage of people aged 16 years and over (excluding full-time students) who were unemployed.

Census 2021 took place during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a period of rapid and unparalleled change; the national lockdown, associated guidance and furlough measures will have affected the labour market and our ability to measure it.

The percentage of people aged 16 years and over who were unemployed (excluding full-time students) in Runnymede increased by 0.1 percentage points

More adults worked short hours

In 2021, 12.3% of Runnymede residents aged 16 years and over and in employment said they worked 15 hours or less per week. This figure increased from 11.2% in 2011.

In 2021, just over one in eight people (12.9%) said they worked over 49 hours per week, compared with 15.9% in 2011. The percentage of adults in employment working 31 to 48 hours per week increased from 56.3% to 58.1%.

The increase in the percentage of people aged 16 years and over and in employment who said they usually worked 15 hours or less per week was greater in Runnymede (1.1 percentage points) than across the South East (0.5 percentage points, from 10.4% to 11.0%). Across England, the percentage increased by 0.6 percentage points, from 9.7% to 10.3%.

Working hours may have been affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The percentage of adults who worked 15 hours or less in Runnymede increased by 1.1 percentage points

Disability in Runnymede

In 2021, 5.6% of Runnymede residents were identified as being disabled and limited a lot. This figure decreased from 6.3% in 2011. These are age-standardised proportions.

Age-standardised proportions are used throughout this section. They enable comparisons between populations over time and across geographies, as they account for differences in the population size and age structure.

In 2021, just over 1 in 11 people (9.1%) were identified as being disabled and limited a little, compared with 8.6% in 2011. The proportion of Runnymede residents who were not disabled increased from 85.1% to 85.3%.

The decrease in the proportion of residents who were identified as being disabled and limited a lot was greater across the South East (1.0 percentage points, from 7.2% to 6.2%) than in Runnymede (0.7 percentage points). Across England, the proportion fell by 1.6 percentage points, from 9.1% to 7.5%.

Census 2021 was undertaken during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This may have influenced how people perceived their health status and activity limitations, and therefore may have affected how people chose to respond.

Caution should be taken when making comparisons between 2011 and 2021 because of changes in question wording and response options.

The percentage of people who were identified as being disabled and limited a lot in Runnymede decreased by 0.7 percentage points

About the data

Census data are adjusted to reflect estimated non-response so that the published results relate to the entire usually resident population as it was on Census Day (21 March 2021).

Those respondents who were on furlough because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic were asked to classify themselves as "temporarily away from work" to ensure they remained in the economically active population.

Students are counted as usually resident at their term-time address even if they were not physically present there on Census Day.

The questions relating to disability differed slightly between 2011 and 2021 to ensure that data were more closely aligned with the definition of disability in the Equality Act (2010). There was also a change to question wording for unpaid care, for more information read the health, disability and unpaid care quality information.

Age-standardised proportions are used throughout the health, disability and unpaid care sections. They allow for fairer comparisons between populations over time and across geographies, as they account for differences in the population size and age structure. The 2013 European Standard Population is used to standardise proportions.

Percentages and percentage point changes have been individually rounded to one decimal place. This means they may not sum exactly.

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About these articles

There is an article like this for every local authority district in England and Wales. The articles have been written and semi-automated by our data journalists and are a new publishing format for the Office for National Statistics.

Topics are chosen and ordered automatically based on how relevant they are for each area, however all data are checked before publishing.

We have not included topics that were new for Census 2021 or where there is no comparability with the 2011 Census. Read about how we developed and tested the questions for Census 2021.

These articles were first published on 8 December 2022 covering topics such as demography, country of birth, ethnic groups, religion, national identity and economic activity status. They were updated on 19 January 2023 following the release of more data from Census 2021 and now include housing tenure, general health, disability and unpaid care.

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