Haringey Census 2021: Statistics about the borough

The Census is a survey of all people and households in the UK and has been carried out every 10 years since 1801. The last Census was held on 21 March 2021.

The Census is the most comprehensive source of information about the population available. It is important because every effort is made to include everyone so it sketches a detailed picture of the entire population.

The Census provides information that allows central and local government and other organisations to target their resources more effectively to provide the best services possible.

On 28 June 2022 the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released the first results from the 2021 Census of England and Wales comprising for each local authority. Haringey’s response rate was 95%, same as Islington and Camden. 

• Key findings
• Explore the topics in more detail
• Accuracy of Census 2021
• Download the reports

Key findings

Below are some of the key findings from the 2021 Census:

Population

• In Haringey, the population size has increased by 3.6%, from around 254,900 in 2011 to 264,200 in 2021.
• Haringey is now ranked 18 (out of 33 London boroughs) for total population.
• The population increase between the 2 Census for Haringey (3.6%) is lower than that for London (7.7%) and for England (7%).
•  When Census 2021 figures are compared to ONS 2021 projection figures, change in Haringey ( -3.1%) is in line with the average change/reduction for London (-3.2%).
• As of 2021, Haringey is ranked 12 out of the 33 local authority areas in the London for population density, with around 89.24 persons per hectare of land. The population density for London is 55.98 persons per hectare and for England it is 4.34 persons per hectare.

Find out more about how the population has changed in Haringey, and how this compares with the rest of England and Wales: 

Census 2021: Population changesONS website (external link)

Age

Haringey's population is older overall, compared to 2011:

• 8% decrease in children aged under 15
• 4% increase in adults aged 15 to 64 and
• 24% increase in those aged 65 and over

Find out more: Haringey population by age

Sex 

Of the 264,200 people in Haringey:

• 137,000 were women (51.9% of the population)
• 127,200 men (48.1%)

National identity

In Haringey, the percentage that did not identify with any UK national identity fell from 28.7% in 2011 to 27.0% in 2021.

Family

In Haringey, the percentage of households including a couple without children rose from 13.5% in 2011 to 14.0% in 2021, while across England it fell from 17.6% to 16.8%. 

Employment

In Haringey, the percentage of employed people rose from 58.9% in 2011 to 60.1% in 2021, while across England it fell from 56.5% to 55.7%. During the same period, the regional percentage increased from 58.6% to 59.4%.

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Explore the topics in more detail

• Haringey's population and future challenges

ONS website:

• Population estimates and change 2011-2021 (external link)
• National identity, England and Wales: Census 2021 (external link)
• Census 2021 maps by topic (national identity, employment, religion, etc.) (external link)
• Topic summaries and datasets - NOMIS (external link)
• Build a custom area profile using Census 2021 data (external link)

See also: State of the borough

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Accuracy of Census 2021

The census was taken at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and during phase 1 of the UK’s 'roadmap out of lockdown'.

Census respondents were required to answer questions based on their place of residence on census day (21 March 2021). This will have had a significant impact on census results.

In addition, the period following the census in which restrictions on social contact and movement were gradually lifted mean that population change since the census was taken is likely to be considerable. 

In particular, returning students (many of whom learnt remotely during 2020/21), workers returning to the hospitality and entertainment sectors and individuals who left Haringey temporarily during the height of the pandemic will contribute to population change over this period. 

The Census significantly underestimated the number of households in some boroughs when comparing to previous ONS mid-year estimates and GLA figures.

In Haringey figures were not hugely out of line with ONS or the Greater London Authority (GLA) estimates/projections. 

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Download the reports

You can download Census information about Haringey by following the links below:

• Demography and migration (Excel, 2.7MB)
• Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion (Excel, 1.7MB)

Coming soon:

• Housing - this will be published in January 2023
• Sexual orientation and gender identity - this will be published in January 2023
• Education - this will be published in January 2023
• Health, disability and unpaid care - this will be published in January 2023
• Armed forces veterans - this will be published in January 2023
• Labour market and travel to work - this will be published in January 2023

For any queries, please email the Business Intelligence team: business.intelligence@haringey.gov.uk

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