Working age population
Published
- 1. Navigate toMain facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toThings you need to know section
- 3. Navigate to Working age population by ethnicity section
- 4. Navigate to Ethnic groups by working age section
- 5. Navigate to Working age population by ethnicity and country (England, Wales) section
- 6. Navigate to Ethnic groups by working age and country (England, Wales) section
- 7. Navigate toData sources section
- 8. Navigate toDownload the data section
1. Main facts and figures
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at the time of the 2021 Census, 62.9% (37.5 million) of the overall population of England and Wales was of ‘working age’ (between 16 and 64 years old) – nearly two-thirds of the overall population (59.5 million)
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80.7% (30.2 million) of working age people were from white ethnic groups, 10.1% (3.7 million) were Asian, 4.4% (1.6 million) were black, 2.5% (0.9 million) had mixed ethnicity, and 2.3% (0.8 million) were from the ‘other’ ethnic group
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out of the 19 ethnic groups, 71.8% (26.9 million) of the working age population identified as white British – 89.3% (1.6 million) in England and 70.8% (25.2 million) in Wales
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after white British, the ethnic groups making up the largest percentages of the working age population were white ‘other’ (7.7%, 2.8 million), black (4.4%, 1.6 million), Indian (3.4%, 1.2 million), black African (2.8%, 1.0 million) and Pakistani (2.7%, 1.0 million)
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49.2% (0.2 million) of people from the mixed white and Asian ethnic group and 48.9% (0.1 million) of people from mixed white and black African group were of working age – the lowest percentages out of all ethnic groups
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
The data measures the size of the working age population of England and Wales, by ethnicity and sex.
Percentages have been rounded to 1 decimal place, so some totals may not add up to 100%.
Read more about the 2021 Census.
Not included in the data
The data does not include households that did not answer the question about ethnicity.
97% of people completed the Census.
The data has been adjusted to take into account people and households who were not counted or counted incorrectly.
The ethnic groups used in the data
This data uses the standardised list of 19 ethnic groups that were developed for the 2021 Census.
The ethnic groups used in the 2021 Census were slightly different from the 2011 Census ethnic groups.
For the 2021 Census:
- the ‘Roma’ group was added under the ‘white’ ethnic group
- people could write their own response under the ‘black African’ ethnic group
Methodology
Read the detailed methodology document for this data.
You can find confidence intervals for the data in the interactive tools showing the quality and quality assurance.
The percentage of people of working age (16 to 64 years old) in each ethnic group is affected by the overall age profile of that group. For example, 43.7% of people from the mixed ethnic group are aged under 15 years, a much higher percentage than any other ethnic group.
In the data file
See download the data for additional regional and local authority data, including:
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the percentage of each ethnic group in the total population by region and local authority
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the percentage of each ethnic group of a particular age in the total ethnic group population by regions and local authority
The data download file also includes breakdowns of the working age population by ethnicity and sex.
3. Working age population by ethnicity
| Ethnicity | % | Number |
|---|---|---|
| All | 62.9 | 37,502,985 |
| Asian | 10.1 | 3,787,330 |
| Bangladeshi | 1.1 | 428,365 |
| Chinese | 0.9 | 342,455 |
| Indian | 3.4 | 1,293,785 |
| Pakistani | 2.7 | 1,024,625 |
| Asian other | 1.9 | 698,100 |
| Black | 4.4 | 1,657,235 |
| Black African | 2.8 | 1,048,285 |
| Black Caribbean | 1.2 | 448,185 |
| Black other | 0.4 | 160,765 |
| Mixed | 2.5 | 920,415 |
| White and Asian | 0.6 | 240,095 |
| White and black African | 0.3 | 122,135 |
| White and black Caribbean | 0.8 | 290,965 |
| Mixed other | 0.7 | 267,220 |
| White | 80.7 | 30,258,110 |
| White British | 71.8 | 26,918,480 |
| Gypsy or Irish traveller | 0.8 | 318,465 |
| White Irish | 0.1 | 42,165 |
| Roma | 0.2 | 80,455 |
| White other | 7.7 | 2,898,545 |
| Other | 2.3 | 879,895 |
| Arab | 0.6 | 221,325 |
| Any other ethnic background | 1.8 | 658,570 |
Download table data for ‘Working age population by ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Working age population by ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of Working age population Working age population by ethnicity Summary
The data shows that:
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according to the 2021 Census, the total population of England and Wales was 59.5 million, and nearly two-thirds of people (37.5 million) were of ‘working age’ (aged 16 to 64 years)
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80.7% (30.2 million) of working age people were white, 10.1% (3.7 million) were Asian, 4.4% (1.6 million) were black, 2.5% (0.9 million) had mixed ethnicity, and 2.3% (0.8 million) were from the ‘other’ ethnic group
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out of all 19 ethnic groups, 71.8% (26.9 million) of working age people identified as white British
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after white British, the ethnic groups making up the largest percentage of the working age population were white ‘other’ (7.7%, 2.8 million), Indian (3.4%, 1.2 million), Pakistani (2.7%, 1.0 million), and black African (2.8%, 1.0 million)
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the ethnic groups making up the smallest percentage of the working age population were white Irish (0.1%, 42,165), white Roma (0.2%, 80,455), and mixed white and black African (0.3%, 0.1 million)
4. Ethnic groups by working age
| Ethnicity | % | Number |
|---|---|---|
| All | 62.9 | 37,502,985 |
| Asian | 68.7 | 3,787,330 |
| Bangladeshi | 66.4 | 428,365 |
| Chinese | 76.9 | 342,455 |
| Indian | 69.4 | 1,293,785 |
| Pakistani | 64.5 | 1,024,625 |
| Asian other | 71.8 | 698,100 |
| Black | 68.8 | 1,657,235 |
| Black African | 70.4 | 1,048,285 |
| Black Caribbean | 71.9 | 448,185 |
| Black other | 54.0 | 160,765 |
| Mixed | 53.6 | 920,415 |
| White and Asian | 49.2 | 240,095 |
| White and black African | 48.9 | 122,135 |
| White and black Caribbean | 56.7 | 290,965 |
| Mixed other | 57.2 | 267,220 |
| White | 62.1 | 30,258,110 |
| White British | 60.7 | 26,918,480 |
| Gypsy or Irish traveller | 62.8 | 318,465 |
| White Irish | 62.3 | 42,165 |
| Roma | 79.7 | 80,455 |
| White other | 79.0 | 2,898,545 |
| Other | 70.1 | 879,895 |
| Arab | 66.7 | 221,325 |
| Any other ethnic background | 71.3 | 658,570 |
Download table data for ‘Ethnic groups by working age’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Ethnic groups by working age’ (CSV)
Summary of Working age population Ethnic groups by working age Summary
The data shows that:
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according to the 2021 Census, 62.9% (37.5 million) of the population of England and Wales was of working age (aged 16 to 64 years)
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60.7% of white British people were of working age, slightly lower than the national average
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79.7% of people from the white Roma ethnic group were of working age – the highest percentage out of the 19 ethnic groups, followed by white ‘other’ (79.0%) and the Chinese ethnic group (76.9%)
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48.9% of people from the mixed white and black African ethnic group were of working age – the lowest percentage out of the 19 ethnic groups, followed by the mixed white and Asian ethnic group (49.2%)
5. Working age population by ethnicity and country (England, Wales)
| England | Wales | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | England value | England Number | Wales value | Wales Number |
| All | 63.0 | 35,605,650 | 61.1 | 1,897,205 |
| Asian | 10.5 | 3,723,690 | 3.4 | 63,685 |
| Bangladeshi | 1.2 | 418,065 | 0.5 | 10,330 |
| Chinese | 0.9 | 331,555 | 0.6 | 10,865 |
| Indian | 3.6 | 1,278,515 | 0.8 | 15,300 |
| Pakistani | 2.8 | 1,012,950 | 0.6 | 11,710 |
| Asian other | 1.9 | 682,605 | 0.8 | 15,480 |
| Black | 4.6 | 1,638,060 | 1.0 | 19,185 |
| Black African | 2.9 | 1,034,115 | 0.7 | 14,200 |
| Black Caribbean | 1.3 | 445,400 | 0.1 | 2,780 |
| Black other | 0.4 | 158,545 | 0.1 | 2,205 |
| Mixed | 2.5 | 893,905 | 1.4 | 26,445 |
| White and Asian | 0.7 | 232,940 | 0.4 | 7,170 |
| White and black African | 0.3 | 118,285 | 0.2 | 3,780 |
| White and black Caribbean | 0.8 | 282,765 | 0.4 | 8,180 |
| Mixed other | 0.7 | 259,915 | 0.4 | 7,315 |
| White | 80.0 | 28,488,295 | 93.3 | 1,769,650 |
| White British | 70.8 | 25,224,635 | 89.3 | 1,693,860 |
| Gypsy or Irish traveller | 0.9 | 310,260 | 0.4 | 8,200 |
| White Irish | 0.1 | 40,030 | 0.1 | 2,085 |
| Roma | 0.2 | 79,010 | 0.1 | 1,305 |
| White other | 8.0 | 2,834,360 | 3.4 | 64,200 |
| Other | 2.4 | 861,700 | 1.0 | 18,240 |
| Arab | 0.6 | 213,840 | 0.4 | 7,505 |
| Any other ethnic background | 1.8 | 647,860 | 0.6 | 10,735 |
Download table data for ‘Working age population by ethnicity and country (England, Wales)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Working age population by ethnicity and country (England, Wales)’ (CSV)
Summary of Working age population Working age population by ethnicity and country (England, Wales) Summary
The data shows that:
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according to the 2021 Census, 63.0% of people in England and 61.1% of people in Wales were of working age
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white British people made up 89.3% of the working age population in Wales, compared with 70.8% in England
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the Asian ethnic group made up 10.5% of the working age population in England, and 3.4% in Wales – the next highest percentage
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people from black ethnic groups made up 4.6% of the working age population in England and 1.0% in Wales
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out of the 19 ethnic groups, the white Roma and white Irish ethnic groups made up the smallest percentages of the working age population – the white Roma ethnic group made up 0.2% in England and 0.1% in Wales, and white Irish people made up 0.1% in England and 0.1% in Wales
6. Ethnic groups by working age and country (England, Wales)
| England | Wales | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | England value | England Number | Wales value | Wales Number |
| All | 63.0 | 35,605,650 | 61.1 | 1,897,205 |
| Asian | 68.6 | 3,723,690 | 71.9 | 63,685 |
| Bangladeshi | 66.4 | 418,065 | 68.1 | 10,330 |
| Chinese | 76.9 | 331,555 | 75.8 | 10,865 |
| Indian | 69.4 | 1,278,515 | 72.8 | 15,300 |
| Pakistani | 64.5 | 1,012,950 | 67.0 | 11,710 |
| Asian other | 71.7 | 682,605 | 75.4 | 15,480 |
| Black | 68.8 | 1,638,060 | 71.2 | 19,185 |
| Black African | 70.4 | 1,034,115 | 71.9 | 14,200 |
| Black Caribbean | 71.9 | 445,400 | 82.0 | 2,780 |
| Black other | 54.0 | 158,545 | 58.1 | 2,205 |
| Mixed | 53.6 | 893,905 | 55.1 | 26,445 |
| White and Asian | 49.1 | 232,940 | 51.6 | 7,170 |
| White and black African | 49.0 | 118,285 | 47.8 | 3,780 |
| White and black Caribbean | 56.6 | 282,765 | 60.0 | 8,180 |
| Mixed other | 57.2 | 259,915 | 58.1 | 7,315 |
| White | 62.2 | 28,488,295 | 60.7 | 1,769,650 |
| White British | 60.7 | 25,224,635 | 60.2 | 1,693,860 |
| Gypsy or Irish traveller | 62.8 | 310,260 | 62.4 | 8,200 |
| White Irish | 62.4 | 40,030 | 62.6 | 2,085 |
| Roma | 79.7 | 79,010 | 85.9 | 1,305 |
| White other | 79.1 | 2,834,360 | 77.4 | 64,200 |
| Other | 70.1 | 861,700 | 69.7 | 18,240 |
| Arab | 66.8 | 213,840 | 65.4 | 7,505 |
| Any other ethnic background | 71.3 | 647,860 | 73.1 | 10,735 |
Download table data for ‘Ethnic groups by working age and country (England, Wales)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Ethnic groups by working age and country (England, Wales)’ (CSV)
Summary of Working age population Ethnic groups by working age and country (England, Wales) Summary
The data shows that:
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according to the 2021 Census, 82.0% of people from black Caribbean ethnic group in Wales were of working age, compared with 71.9% in England
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in both England and Wales, the white Roma (79.7% and 85.9%), white ‘other’ (79.1% and 77.4%), and Chinese (76.9% and 75.8%) ethnic groups had the highest percentages of people who were of working age out of all ethnic groups
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in both England and Wales, the mixed white and Asian (49.1% and 51.6%), and the mixed white and black African (49.0% and 47.8%) ethnic groups had the lowest percentages of people who were of working age
7. Data sources
Source
Type of data
Survey data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Office for National Statistics
Publication frequency
10 years
Purpose of data source
The Census takes place every 10 years. Census data gives the government the information it needs to plan and run public services. It is also used as a benchmark for other statistical estimates, and can help illustrate differences between various groups in the population.
8. Download the data
This file contains the following: Measure, year, Geography, Geography_type, Geography_code, Age Groups (Below working age, working age and Above working age),Ethnicity, Ethnicity_type, sex, Value1(% of total age group population) Value2 (% of total ethnic group population)
This file contains the following: Measure, year, Geography, Geography_type, Geography_code, Age Groups (Below working age, working age and Above working age),Ethnicity, Ethnicity_type, sex, Value1(% of total age group population) Value2 (% of total ethnic group population)
This file contains the following: Measure, year, Geography, Geography_type, Geography_code, Age Groups (Below working age, working age and Above working age),Ethnicity, Ethnicity_type, sex, Value1(% of total age group population) Value2 (% of total ethnic group population)