Release of the Census 2021 data

You asked

When will details of the 2021 Census be available?

I would like to find out how many respondents put 'European' as their nationality choice(s).

We said

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request asking about availability of 2021 Census data.

We aim to release the first Census 2021 data on the population of England and Wales within a year of census. Following that, we intend to release all the main results within two years of census day. These outputs will include a wide range of products that users can interact with to obtain data to suit their needs.

We've developed a timetable based on feedback received from users following the 2011 Census. We have provided a copy of this in the accompanying download named 'FOI_2021_2615_Census_Outputs.pdf'.

For the 2011 Census, our outputs took us up to three years to release. User feedback highlighted that a main area of improvement for Census 2021 outputs would be to decrease the length of time between data collection and release.

Our shorter release schedule for Census 2021 will ensure that organisations can use the data to inform decision-making and service provision while the information is most relevant.

Please note that aggregated census statistics from 1801 to 2011 are in the public domain, should you wish to view any of these. It is only the individual completed forms/returns for each address that remain confidential for 100 years.

You may find this link useful for finding out about access to past census data, although Census Customer Services will be happy to assist you further with any census-related queries including 2021 data. Our Census News page will keep you informed of Census 2021 developments.