List of United Kingdom censuses
Encyclopedia
The census in the United Kingdom
is decennial, that is, held every ten years, although there is provision in the Census Act 1920
for a census to take place at intervals of five years or more. There have only been two occasions where the census has not been decennial: There was no census in 1941 due to the war; and a mini-census using a ten percent sample of the population was conducted on 24 April 1966. There are actually three separate censuses in the United Kingdom - in England and Wales
, Scotland
, and Northern Ireland
, although they are often coordinated. From 1821 until 1911, the census included the whole of Ireland
.
. The 1911 census will become more and more accessible until January 2012 when the entire census is due to be officially released into the public domain
. Other censuses after 1911 will not be affected by the Freedom of Information Act, as when these censuses were taken, the 100-year closure rule was already in place.
Census in the United Kingdom
Coincident full censuses have taken place in the different jurisdictions of the United Kingdom every ten years since 1801, with the exceptions of 1941 and in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State in 1921; simultaneous censuses were taken in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, with...
is decennial, that is, held every ten years, although there is provision in the Census Act 1920
Census Act 1920
The Census Act 1920 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Providing for a census for Great Britain , on a date to be fixed by Order in Council, it remains the primary legislation for the provision of the UK census in England, Scotland, and Wales...
for a census to take place at intervals of five years or more. There have only been two occasions where the census has not been decennial: There was no census in 1941 due to the war; and a mini-census using a ten percent sample of the population was conducted on 24 April 1966. There are actually three separate censuses in the United Kingdom - in England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, although they are often coordinated. From 1821 until 1911, the census included the whole of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Published Censuses
The census records which have been published relate to the occupants of each household on the date given below:- United Kingdom Census 1801Census Act 1800The Census Act 1800 also known as the Population Act 1800 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which enabled the first Census of England, Scotland and Wales to be undertaken. The census was carried out in 1801 and every ten years thereafter...
- Tuesday, 10 March - United Kingdom Census 1811 - Monday, 27 May
- United Kingdom Census 1821 - Monday, 28 May
- United Kingdom Census 1831 - Monday, 30 May
- United Kingdom Census 1841United Kingdom Census 1841The United Kingdom Census of 1841 recorded the occupants of every UK household on the night of 6 June, 1841. It was described as the "first modern census" in that it was the first to record information about every member of the household and because it was administered as a single event, under...
- Sunday, 6 June - United Kingdom Census 1851United Kingdom Census 1851The United Kingdom Census of 1851 recorded the people residing in every household on the night of 30 March 1851, and was the second of the UK censuses to include details of household members...
- Sunday, 30 March - United Kingdom Census 1861United Kingdom Census 1861The United Kingdom Census of 1861 recorded the people residing in every household on the night of 7 April 1861, and was the third of the UK censuses to include details of household members.-See also:*Census in the United Kingdom...
- Sunday, 7 April - United Kingdom Census 1871 - Sunday, 2 April
- United Kingdom Census 1881 - Sunday, 3 April
- United Kingdom Census 1891 - Sunday, 5 April
- United Kingdom Census 1901United Kingdom Census 1901A nationwide census was conducted in England and Wales on 31 March 1901. It contains records for 32 million people and 6 million houses, It covers the whole of England and Wales, with the exception of parts of Deal in Kent. Separate censuses were held in Scotland and Ireland...
- Sunday, 31 March
Unpublished Censuses
Because the 100-year closure rule was established after the 1911 census, some information in that census is now available from The National Archives using the Freedom of Information Act 2000Freedom of Information Act 2000
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that creates a public "right of access" to information held by public authorities. It is the implementation of freedom of information legislation in the United Kingdom on a national level...
. The 1911 census will become more and more accessible until January 2012 when the entire census is due to be officially released into the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
. Other censuses after 1911 will not be affected by the Freedom of Information Act, as when these censuses were taken, the 100-year closure rule was already in place.
- United Kingdom Census 1911 - Sunday, 2 April (Available to the public, Spring 2011 in Scotland)
- United Kingdom Census 1921 - Sunday, 19 June (publication date 1 January 2022)
- United Kingdom Census 1931 - Sunday, 26 April (destroyed during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
) - United Kingdom Census 1939 - 29 September World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
National Registration (publication date 1 January 2040) United Kingdom Census 1941- no census taken due to World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.- United Kingdom Census 1951 - 8 April (publication date 1 January 2052)
- United Kingdom Census 1961 - 23 April (publication date 1 January 2062)
- United Kingdom Census 1966 - 24 April mini-census using a ten percent sample (publication date 1 January 2067)
- United Kingdom Census 1971 - 25 April (publication date 1 January 2072)
- United Kingdom Census 1981 - 5 April (publication date 1 January 2082)
- United Kingdom Census 1991United Kingdom Census 1991A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 1991, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 21 April 1991. This was the 19th UK census....
- 21 April (publication date 1 January 2092) - United Kingdom Census 2001United Kingdom Census 2001A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
- 29 April (publication date 1 January 2102) - United Kingdom Census 2011United Kingdom Census 2011The most recent census of the United Kingdom, known as the 2011 census, took place on 27 March 2011, a decade after the previous census. It was conducted on the same day in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to ensure coherence and consistency...
- 27 March 2011 (publication date 1 January 2112)