Compare where children, young adults, working-age people and older residents make up the greatest shares—and how those populations changed from 2021 to 2025.
316 councils294 England and 22 Wales
2025 estimatesCurrent population-share basis
2021–2025Population-change period
Age group
Comparison
Population estimates are not exact counts. They may be revised as ONS incorporates improved evidence. Age groups intentionally overlap: school-age residents are within children, and young adults overlap the working-age group.
Highest values: School-age population aged 5–17
Highest values for School-age population aged 5–17
Rank
Council area
Nation
Current share
2025 cohort
2025 share
2021 cohort
People change
1
Barking and Dagenham
England
19.9%
47,391
19.9%
46,298
+1,093
2
Slough
England
19.7%
33,055
19.7%
32,140
+915
3
Blackburn with Darwen
England
19.1%
31,239
19.1%
29,717
+1,522
4
Peterborough
England
18.7%
41,961
18.7%
39,638
+2,323
5
Dartford
England
18.6%
23,538
18.6%
20,566
+2,972
6
Oldham
England
18.6%
46,759
18.6%
45,847
+912
7
St Albans
England
18.5%
27,913
18.5%
27,339
+574
8
Bradford
England
18.5%
103,199
18.5%
104,680
-1,481
9
Thurrock
England
18.5%
33,567
18.5%
31,922
+1,645
10
Wokingham
England
18.4%
34,755
18.4%
31,306
+3,449
11
Trafford
England
18.3%
43,994
18.3%
41,437
+2,557
12
Sandwell
England
18.2%
64,169
18.2%
62,882
+1,287
13
Rochdale
England
18.0%
42,858
18.0%
40,170
+2,688
14
Milton Keynes
England
18.0%
55,464
18.0%
51,958
+3,506
15
Sutton
England
18.0%
38,415
18.0%
36,366
+2,049
16
Luton
England
17.9%
42,414
17.9%
42,896
-482
17
Elmbridge
England
17.9%
25,539
17.9%
25,193
+346
18
Bolton
England
17.9%
55,338
17.9%
53,146
+2,192
19
Walsall
England
17.8%
52,739
17.8%
50,182
+2,557
20
Birmingham
England
17.8%
208,915
17.8%
212,186
-3,271
Lowest values: School-age population aged 5–17
Lowest values for School-age population aged 5–17
Rank
Council area
Nation
Current share
2025 cohort
2025 share
2021 cohort
People change
1
Westminster
England
8.6%
18,203
8.6%
22,033
-3,830
2
Kensington and Chelsea
England
9.8%
14,258
9.8%
16,729
-2,471
3
Islington
England
10.6%
23,727
10.6%
25,378
-1,651
4
Camden
England
10.8%
23,337
10.8%
26,482
-3,145
5
Hammersmith and Fulham
England
11.0%
20,867
11.0%
22,785
-1,918
6
Lambeth
England
11.0%
34,483
11.0%
39,184
-4,701
7
Wandsworth
England
11.4%
38,810
11.4%
40,746
-1,936
8
Cambridge
England
11.7%
17,478
11.7%
17,144
+334
9
Ceredigion
Wales
11.7%
8,492
11.7%
8,756
-264
10
North Norfolk
England
11.7%
12,114
11.7%
12,055
+59
11
Exeter
England
11.9%
16,345
11.9%
15,878
+467
12
Brighton and Hove
England
12.0%
34,214
12.0%
35,468
-1,254
13
Southwark
England
12.1%
37,731
12.1%
41,184
-3,453
14
East Lindsey
England
12.3%
18,071
12.3%
17,985
+86
15
York
England
12.3%
25,770
12.3%
26,127
-357
16
Tower Hamlets
England
12.4%
41,365
12.4%
45,302
-3,937
17
Fylde
England
12.5%
10,865
12.5%
10,497
+368
18
Isle of Wight
England
12.5%
17,643
12.5%
18,066
-423
19
Derbyshire Dales
England
12.8%
9,204
12.8%
9,385
-181
20
Oxford
England
12.8%
21,278
12.8%
21,611
-333
Methodology and limitations
Current share
The selected age-group population as a percentage of the council's total 2025 population.
Population change
Percentage change in the selected age group between 2021 and 2025. “Lowest” is used because some groups grew everywhere.
Eligibility
Councils require at least 10,000 residents in both years. Change rankings also require at least 500 people in the starting cohort.
Source: Office for National Statistics mid-year population estimates via Nomis. Current April 2023 district and unitary authority geography. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.