Area type
Unitary Authority
Population Density
240
Population growth
Gender ratio
0.97 male to female
english main language
99%
birth rate
8.8
death rate
12.4
Major religion
72% Christian
Urbanisation
55%
View trend
View trend
View breakdown
The population of County Durham is 533,149 according to mid-2020 population figures published by the ONS. County Durham's population growth rate between mid-2019 and mid-2020 was per year. County Durham covers an area of 2,226 square kilometres (859 square miles) and has a population density of 240 people per square kilometre (km2), based on the latest population estimates taken in mid-2020.
According to the latest 2011 census, the population in County Durham is predominantly white (98%), with non-white minorities representing the remaining 2% of the population.
The median average age in County Durham in 2019 was 43.3, with over 18s representing 82.9% of the population. The sex ratio was 96.9 males to every 100 females. Compare average age by area.
In 2011, the urban population of County Durham was approximately 281,825 or 55%, while the rural population was around 231,417 or 45%.
The largest religious group in County Durham is Christians who account for 72% of the population.
English is spoken as the main language by 98.5% of people in County Durham, and spoken either well or very well by 1% of the remaining population. 0.2% reported having poor English language skills.
Main page: County Durham Population
The population of County Durham is 533,149 according to mid-2020 population figures published by the ONS. In the year between mid-2019 and mid-2020, the population in County Durham grew by an estimated people, and in the ten years before mid-2020, the population grew by .
County Durham's population growth rate between mid-2019 and mid-2020 was , which is
County Durham covers an area of 2,226 square kilometres (859 square miles) and has a population density of 240 people per square kilometre (km2), based on the latest population estimates taken in mid-2020. That figure has by people per km2 over the past decade.
According to mid-year population estimates published by the ONS in 2019, males account for 49.2% of County Durham's 533,149 population, while females made up 50.8% of the total.
The sex ratio (the number of males for each female in a population) was 96.905 males to every 100 females in 2011. In England as a whole, the gender ratio was 98 males to every 100 females in 2011.
Age statistics collected by the ONS show the adult population of County Durham, that is how many people there are over the age of 18, is 441,872.
County Durham's age structure shows the working-age population to be 330,290 which is 62.0% of the population. People under the age of 16 represent 17.1% of the population, and over 65s represent 20.9% of the population. The percentage of the population that is of working-age has decreased over the last 10 years from 64.7% to 62.2%.
County Durham's age pyramid shows how the population is distributed by age and gender.
The median average age of someone in County Durham was 43.3 years in 2019. Split by gender, the average female age is 44.6 years, and the average male is 42.0 years.
Of the County Durham population over the age of 90, girls outnumber boys by 1.9 to 1.
The life expectancy of someone born today in County Durham is 80 years. Split by gender, a girl born today in County Durham has a life expectancy of 82 years, and a boy has a life expectancy of 78 years. Compare life expectancy by area.
As a comparison, in England as a whole, current life expectancy at birth is 81 years, for females that rises to 83 years and for males it falls to 79 years.
The life expectancy for someone born in County Durham has risen by 3 years over the past decade, from a life expectancy of 77 years to a life expectancy of 80 years. In England as a whole, life expectancies have risen by 3 years.
Age | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00-01 | 77.8 | 81.5 | 79.7 |
| 01-04 | 77.2 | 80.7 | 79.0 |
| 05-09 | 73.3 | 76.7 | 75.0 |
| 10-14 | 68.3 | 71.8 | 70.1 |
| 15-19 | 63.3 | 66.8 | 65.1 |
| 20-24 | 58.4 | 61.8 | 60.1 |
| 25-29 | 53.6 | 56.9 | 55.3 |
| 30-34 | 48.8 | 52.1 | 50.5 |
| 35-39 | 44.1 | 47.2 | 45.7 |
| 40-44 | 39.4 | 42.3 | 40.8 |
According to the latest 2011 census, the population in County Durham is predominantly white (98.2%), with non-white minorities representing the remaining 1.8% of the population.
Asian people were the largest minority group in County Durham accounting for 0.9% of the population.
701 or 0% of the County Durham population are black according to the latest 2011 census.
In England more broadly the portion of the population that is white is 85.4%. 7.8% are Asian and 3.5% are Black.
Estimates of personal wellbeing in the UK are published by the ONS annually, with scores for anxiety, happiness, life satisfaction, and feeling that life is worthwhile. Overall scores are based on surveying a representative sample of the population and are scored out of 10 (.e.g for happiness 0 is 'not at all happy' and 10 is 'completely happy').
Levels of reported Anxiety in County Durham were 3.2 in 2012 and 3.2 in 2021. In the rest of England levels of Anxiety are currently 3.1.
Reported levels of Happiness in 2021 were 7.4, and 7.1 in 2012. In England, the average happiness indicator is currently 7.5. Of the 363 areas in England, County Durham is the 268 th happiest area in England.
Life satisfaction scores for 2021 are 7.6 and were 7.5 in 2012. For the feeling that things done in life are worthwhile the 2021 level is 7.8 and was 7.7 in 2012.
County Durham Salary
County Durham House Prices
County Durham Crime
According to the latest 2011 census, the most populous religious group within County Durham is Christians, accounting for 72.0% of the population.
County Durham has a Muslim population of 1,934 which is 0.4% of the population.
Compared to England as a whole, in England circa 59% of the population is Christian, 5% is Muslim, 2% is Hindu, and Buddhists, Sikhs and Jews each is around 1%. The remainder is split between people with no religion and those who decided not to identify a religion.
Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2021. Data sources: ONS Local statistics