Ref: FOI/2022/4537
You asked
Please explain why the census data on ethnicity has been delayed.
We said
Thank you for your request.
Delivering a census is a large and complex operation. More than 20 million households across England and Wales completed questionnaires and turning that information into the best possible statistics for every local area is an equally big challenge.
The breadth and depth of census statistics means that Census 2021 data is being released in stages. The timetable is planned around user need and we will release the statistics as soon as they are ready.
Please find a link to the user consultation
The first of our series of eight topic summaries (Demography and migration) was published on 2 November. The rest will be released in the order published on our release plans page
Ethnic group, national identity, language, and religion: Census 2021 in England and Wales has a provisional release date of 29 November.