These plans detail the analysis we aim to publish on the topic of health, disability and unpaid care in the first year of the Census 2021 analysis programme, and the proposals we are considering publishing in following years. We will provide updates to these plans after user feedback and further research and testing of the data. We will provide article publication dates on our release calendar in "Upcoming releases". We intend to confirm publication releases four weeks before publication. We will update this page with links to articles when they are published. 

These plans do not incorporate analysis in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Analysis on this topic will be published in response to changing policy needs for these data.

Publications in 2023

Health, disability and unpaid care: Census 2021 in England and Wales


Article | Published 19 January 2023
Data and supporting information about health, disability, and unpaid care from Census 2021 in England and Wales.

Disability by age, sex and deprivation, England and Wales: Census 2021
Article | Published 8 February 2023
This article provides insights into disability prevalence in England and Wales in 2021, broken down by age and sex. Key findings are presented at country, regional and local authority level. Additional analyses compare disability prevalence with the 2011 and 2001 Censuses, and examine the relationship between deprivation and disability at a national decile (England) or quintile (Wales) level.

Unpaid care by age, sex and deprivation, England and Wales: Census 2021
Article | Published 13 February 2023
The provision of unpaid care at country, regional and local authority level and analysis on deprivation with comparisons to Census 2001 and 2011.

General health by age, sex and deprivation: England and Wales: Census 2021   
Article | Published 24 February 2023
This release provides insights into self-reported health in England and Wales in 2021, broken down by age and sex. Key findings are presented at country, regional and local authority level. Additional analyses compare general health to the 2011 Census and examines the relationship between deprivation and health at a national decile (England) or quintile (Wales) level.

The geographic divide in general health, disability and unpaid care: Census 2021
Article | Published 6 March 2023
This interactive article explores health, disability, and unpaid care across England and Wales using data from Census 2021. It allows users to select a local authority to see how it compares to the national picture in England or Wales.

Life expectancy in care homes, England and Wales: 2021 to 2022 - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)
Article | Published 16 March 2023
The average number of years people aged 65 years and over who are living in care homes are expected to live beyond their current age in England and Wales. Classified as Experimental Statistics.

Unpaid care and protected characteristics, England and Wales: Census 2021
Article | Published 24 April 2023
Differences in unpaid care by protected characteristics across England and Wales, also includes changes since the 2011 Census.

Protected characteristics by disability status England and Wales: Census 2021
Article | Published 17 May 2023
The protected characteristics of disabled and non-disabled people in England and Wales, using Census 2021 data.

Forthcoming publications

Unpaid care expectancy

This analysis will focus on unpaid care expectancy (UCE) estimates and the average lifespan spent as an unpaid carer. It will use Census 2021 data and life expectancy data.

Unpaid care and protected characteristics, England and Wales: Census 2021

The provision of unpaid care by protected characteristics with comparisons to the 2011 Census.

Health state life expectancy by local area

This analysis will estimate the years lived in various health states, for local areas of England and Wales. It will use data from Census 2021 and mortality data from 2020 to 2022.

Future analysis will used Census 2021 data linked to other sources to explore health, disability and unpaid care in greater detail and provide new insights into inequalities.

More information

To find out more about our Census 2021 analysis plans or to provide feedback, email us at census.customer.services@ons.gov.uk .