Population overview

This section looks back at some of the long-term changes in population, and also forward to the predicted changes in population numbers over years to come. It also considers the components of population change: births, deaths and migration. 

Census records allow us to track population changes in the Lancashire-14 area from 1891 to 2021. They present an interesting long-term viewpoint of how rates of population change have varied quite noticeably over this long time period. 

This section includes results for births and deaths, and they show the very noticeable variations between Lancashire authorities that have occurred since 1981.

The population density results reveal the significant variations between the highly urbanised authorities in Lancashire, and those with substantial rural areas.  

The yearly mid-year population estimates are normally released around June of each year and are one of the most important data sets that we analyse. The 2021 estimates, dated just three months after the 2021 census, were released in December 2022. This was the first set to use Census 2021 as a baseline, and can be considered as a re-adjustment of the population figures from the Census itself. After the 2022 estimates were published those estimates relating to years between the 2011 and 2021 censuses were re-based to tally with the 2021 figures. The latest population figures for each area are widely requested, and underpin much of the more in-depth analysis that we undertake.

The population projections are also extremely important, and the next few years will see whether these projections, that are based on previous rates of change, need to be revised upwards in Preston and South Ribble as the City Deal initiative has an impact on new housing starts and completions.    

The latest official statistics on ethnicity are from the Census 2021, and we provide detailed analysis of these down to ward level in our Census 2021 Articles section. 

Page updated July 2024.