Sparse and getting older - What the census says about north Norfolk

Census data shows there is the equivalent of one football pitch for each North Norfolk resident - a vast difference from Tower Hamlets in London at the other end of the scale, where there are 112 residents per pitch.

And while it is already known as one of the 'oldest' parts of the country, North Norfolk seems to be getting even older.

Over the decade there was a rise of 17.8pc in people aged 65 years and over, a decrease of 5.6pc in people aged 15 to 64 years, and a decrease of 4pc in children aged under 15 years.

Across England and Wales, North Norfolk is the local authority with the highest percentage of the population aged 65 years and over at 33.4pc.

North Norfolk has also had the lowest population increase in the region since the previous census in 2011, rising at just 1.4pc - compared to 8.3pc for the East of England. The district's population rose from 101,500 to 103,000 over the decade.

Pete Benton, the deputy national statistician for the Office for National Statistics, said of the data, which was gathered on March 21 last year: "Today’s census statistics begin to paint a rich and detailed snapshot of the nation and how we were living during the pandemic. They show the population of England and Wales continued to grow across the decade, albeit at different rates across the regions.

“Ultimately, the full suite of census results, based on the information we all gave, will ensure decisions about how the billions of pounds we spend each year as a nation are made using the best possible evidence. This includes planning our emergency services, mental health care, school places, hospital beds, houses, roads, buses, trains, trams, GPs and dentists’ services.

"Since census day the world has continued to change. People continue to move home, some people will have left the country, others will have arrived. People will have changed jobs, some of us now work in offices once again, while others continue to work from home."