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List of United Kingdom censuses

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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 are actually three separate censuses in the United Kingdom – in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland – although they are often co-ordinated. From 1821 to 1911, the census included the whole of Ireland.

There have only been three occasions in Great Britain where the census has not been decennial: There was no census in 1941 due to the Second World War; a mini-census using a ten per cent sample of the population was conducted on 24 April 1966; and the planned Scottish 2021 census was delayed to 2022 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] No census was held in Ireland in 1921, as a consequence of the Irish War of Independence; instead, Northern Ireland carried out a census in 1926, the first there for fifteen years.[2][a] No census was carried out in Northern Ireland in 1931, but one was carried out in 1937.[4]

Past censuses

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Published censuses

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The census records which have been published relate to the occupants of each household, as enumerated for the dates given below:

Unpublished censuses

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Under the 100-year closure rule established after the 1911 census was taken, only summary results for censuses after 1939 – though with significant statistical detail – are published in the months[b] following the enumeration dates given below; the full information (individual household entries) in later censuses will not be released until the dates stated, a century after each later census was conducted.

  • Northern Ireland Census 1926 - Sunday, 18 April:[2] The census returns were not transferred to the Public Record Office in Northern Ireland, and are believed to have been destroyed without authorisation, possibly as part of a World War II waste-paper campaign.[7]
  • United Kingdom Census 1931 - Sunday, 26 April: carried out in England, Wales, and Scotland, but not Northern Ireland. The England and Wales census returns were destroyed in an accidental fire in 1942; the Scottish census returns were stored in Edinburgh, and survived.[8] The scheduled publication date for the Scottish returns is 1 January 2032
  • Northern Ireland Census 1937 - Sunday, 28 February:[4] Unlike the 1926 Northern Ireland census, the 1937 census records survive.[7][9][10] (scheduled publication date 1 January 2038)
  • United Kingdom Census 1941 - no census taken due to World War II.
  • United Kingdom Census 1951 - Sunday, 8 April (scheduled publication date 1 January 2052)
  • United Kingdom Census 1961 - Sunday, 23 April (scheduled publication date 1 January 2062)
  • United Kingdom Census 1966 - Sunday, 24 April mini-census using a ten per cent sample (publication date 1 January 2067)
  • United Kingdom Census 1971 - Sunday, 25 April (scheduled publication date 1 January 2072)
  • United Kingdom Census 1981 - Sunday, 5 April (scheduled publication date 1 January 2082)
  • United Kingdom Census 1991 - Sunday, 21 April (scheduled publication date 1 January 2092)
  • United Kingdom Census 2001 - Sunday, 29 April (scheduled publication date 1 January 2102)
  • United Kingdom Census 2011 - Sunday, 27 March (scheduled publication date 1 January 2112)
  • United Kingdom Census 2021 - carried out in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland only on Sunday, 21 March (scheduled publication date 1 January 2122). The census in Scotland was carried out on 20 March 2022.[11] (scheduled publication date 1 January 2123)

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The Irish Free State's first census was also carried out in 1926.[3]
  2. ^ With larger population and more detailed questionnaires, as well as more granular results, publication dates are spread over a number of months. For the census applicable to enumeration on 21 March 2021, the first results for England and Wales were not published until 28 June 2022,[5] and the last set of results is provisionally (as of May 2023) predicted to be published in October or November 2023.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Coronavirus: Census delayed by a year because of disease". BBC News. 17 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b https://www.nisra.gov.uk/sites/nisra.gov.uk/files/publications/1926-census-preliminary-report.PDF [bare URL PDF]
  3. ^ "National Archives - History of Irish census records".
  4. ^ a b https://www.nisra.gov.uk/sites/nisra.gov.uk/files/publications/1937-census-preliminary-report.PDF [bare URL PDF]
  5. ^ "First results from Census 2021 in England and Wales". United Kingdom Census 2021. Office for National Statistics. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Population estimates by output areas, electoral, health and other geographies, England and Wales: rebased mid-2012 to mid-2020". United Kingdom Census 2021. Office for National Statistics. 14 May 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Census lost: Historic 1926 NI records may be destroyed". BBC News. 11 June 2013.
  8. ^ 1931 Census
  9. ^ A Guide to Tracing Your Family History using the Census. Pen and Sword Family History. 30 August 2020. ISBN 9781526755254.
  10. ^ Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records: A Guide for Family Historians. Pen and Sword Family History. 30 November 2021. ISBN 9781526780249.
  11. ^ "National Records of Scotland". 31 May 2013.


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