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  • England and Wales
  • England
  • East
  • Bedford
  • Cambridgeshire
  • Central Bedfordshire
  • Essex
  • Hertfordshire
  • Luton
  • Norfolk
  • Peterborough
  • Southend-on-Sea
  • Suffolk
  • Thurrock

Demographics of East England

Area selected: East England
  • England and Wales
  • England
  • East
  • Bedford
  • Cambridgeshire
  • Central Bedfordshire
  • Essex
  • Hertfordshire
  • Luton
  • Norfolk
  • Peterborough
  • Southend-on-Sea
  • Suffolk
  • Thurrock
Person
Population
6,348,096

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Fitness
Life expectancy
82 years

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Earth
Major ethnic
86% White

View breakdown Arrow Forward

Age structure
Population
Average age
Life expectancy
Area type
Region
Population Density
332
Population growth
0.5%
Gender ratio
0.96 male to female
english main language
93%
birth rate
10.7
death rate
10.2
Major religion
47% Other
Urbanisation
70%

Demographics of East England

The population of East England is 6,348,096 according to mid-2021 population figures published by the ONS. East England's population growth rate between mid-2020 and mid-2021 was 0.5% per year. East England covers an area of 19,118 square kilometres (7,382 square miles) and has a population density of 332 people per square kilometre (km2), based on the latest population estimates taken in mid-2021.

According to the latest 2021 census, the population in East England is predominantly white (86%), with non-white minorities representing the remaining 14% of the population.

The median average age in East England in 2021 was 41.7, with over 18s representing 82.5% of the population. The sex ratio was 96.3 males to every 100 females. Compare average age by area.

In 2021, the urban population of East England was approximately 3,495,793 or 70%, while the rural population was around 1,468,021 or 30%.

The largest religious group in East England is Others who account for 47% of the population.

English is spoken as the main language by 92.6% of people in East England, and spoken either well or very well by 6% of the population. 1.1% reported having poor English language skills, and the remaining 0.2% spoke no English at all.

Population of East England

Main page: East England Population

The population of East England is 6,348,096 according to mid-2021 population figures published by the ONS. In the year between mid-2020 and mid-2021, the population in East England grew by an estimated 78,935 people, and in the ten years before mid-2021, the population grew by .

East England's population growth rate between mid-2020 and mid-2021 was 0.5%, which is 0.3% lower than the average population growth rate in East England for the ten years before mid-2021 (0.8%).

East England covers an area of 19,118 square kilometres (7,382 square miles) and has a population density of 332 people per square kilometre (km2), based on the latest population estimates taken in mid-2021. That figure has by people per km2 over the past decade.

Population
Population Density
Population Growth

Demographics by Age and Gender

According to mid-year population estimates published by the ONS in 2019, males account for 49.0% of East England's 6,348,096 population, while females made up 51.0% of the total.

The sex ratio (the number of males for each female in a population) was 96.259 males to every 100 females in 2021. In England as a whole, the gender ratio was 96 males to every 100 females in 2021.

Age statistics collected by the ONS show the adult population of East England, that is how many people there are over the age of 18, is 5,234,436.

East England's age structure shows the working-age population to be 3,983,354 which is 62.7% of the population. People under the age of 16 represent 17.5% of the population, and over 65s represent 19.7% of the population. The percentage of the population that is of working-age has decreased over the last 10 years from to .

East England age pyramid

East England's age pyramid shows how the population is distributed by age and gender.

The median average age of someone in East England was 41.7 years in 2019.

Of the East England population over the age of 90, girls outnumber boys by 2.0 to 1.

Life expectancy in East England

The life expectancy of someone born today in East England is 82 years. Split by gender, a girl born today in East England has a life expectancy of 84 years, and a boy has a life expectancy of 80 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 East England has risen by 2 years over the past decade, from a life expectancy of 80 years to a life expectancy of 82 years. In England as a whole, life expectancies have risen by 3 years.

Age
Male
Female
Total
00-01 80.2 83.8 82.0
01-04 79.5 83.1 81.3
05-09 75.5 79.1 77.3
10-14 70.5 74.1 72.3
15-19 65.6 69.1 67.4
20-24 60.7 64.2 62.5
25-29 55.8 59.3 57.6
30-34 51.0 54.3 52.7
35-39 46.2 49.4 47.8
40-44 41.4 44.6 43.0
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Ethnicity in East England

According to the latest 2021 census, the population in East England is predominantly white (86.5%), with non-white minorities representing the remaining 13.5% of the population.

Asian people were the largest minority group in East England accounting for 6.4% of the population.

184,949 or 3% of the East England population are black according to the latest 2021 census.

In England more broadly the portion of the population that is white is 81%. 10% are Asian and 4% are Black.

Population by race in East England, 2021 census

  • White - 5,478,364 people or 86.5%
  • Asian - 405,869 people or 6.4%
  • Black - 184,949 people or 2.9%
  • Mixed - 179,654 people or 2.8%
  • Other - 86,232 people or 1.4%

Personal wellbeing in East England

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').

Anxiety
Happiness
Life satisfaction
Life worthwhile
Cash
Average salary
£38,263

East England Salary Arrow Forward

Home
Average property price
£371,529

East England House Prices Arrow Forward

Stats Chart
Crime rate (per 1,000 people)
7,551

East England Crime Arrow Forward

Religion in East England

According to the latest 2021 census, the most populous religious group within East England is Others, accounting for 46.8% of the population.

East England has a Muslim population of 234,744 which is 3.7% of the population.

Compared to England as a whole, in England circa 46% of the population is Christian, 7% 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.

Religious groups in East England, 2021 census

  • Christian - 2,955,069 people or 46.6%
  • Buddhist - 26,814 people or 0.4%
  • Hindu - 86,631 people or 1.4%
  • Jewish - 42,012 people or 0.7%
  • Muslim - 234,744 people or 3.7%
  • Sikh - 24,284 people or 0.4%
  • Other - 2,965,514 people or 46.8%

Discover more

Areas near East England

Region
North East
population2,646,772
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Region
East Midlands
population4,880,094
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Region
South West
population5,712,840
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Region
North West
population7,422,295
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Region
South East
population9,294,023
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Region
London
population8,796,628
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Region
West Midlands
population5,954,240
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Region
Yorkshire and the Humber
population5,481,431
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Areas in East England

Local Authority
Bedford
population185,761
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County
Essex
population1,506,345
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County
Cambridgeshire
population680,407
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Local Authority
Luton
population224,826
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County
Hertfordshire
population1,200,620
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Local Authority
Southend-on-Sea
population180,601
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Local Authority
Central Bedfordshire
population295,541
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Local Authority
Peterborough
population216,349
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County
Norfolk
population918,369
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Local Authority
Thurrock
population175,902
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County
Suffolk
population763,375
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Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2023. Data sources: ONS Local statistics

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