Population and Census

What is the population of Kent?

Kent's population (excluding Medway) is currently estimated to be 1,466,500 people.  This figure is a mid-2011 population estimate as published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and is the latest available, Population figures by age for areas within Kent can be found on the population data page.

What is the average population size of a household in Kent?

According the the 2011 Census, the average size of a household in Kent is 2.37 persons.  This is slightly higher than the national average of 2.36 persons per household.

Average household size data for areas within Kent, along with counts of household population and the number of households, are available on our household estimates data page.

What has caused Kent's population growth?

There are two components of population change of an area. Natural change which is the number births and deaths, and migration.

Year on year Kent has seen more births than deaths and more people moving in to Kent than leaving. The number of deaths in Kent has been falling steadily over recent years due to people living longer. The result has been steady population growth in the county.

How is the population of Kent going to change in the future?

It is important to consider how the Kent population is going to change in the future in order to plan services. The latest population forecasts for Kent and districts within Kent show how we expect the population to look in 2031. 

What are the characteristics of Kent residents?

Area Profiles for wards, parishes, electoral divisions and districts provide a whole range of information on the characteristics of Kent's residents using the most up to date information available.  The profiles contain data on the age profile, employment status, living arrangements, property type, deprivation levels, to name but a few, of Kent residents.

The national census provides a large amount of detail on the characteristics of Kent residents.

Data to illustrate how diverse Kent's population is can be accessed via the Equalities and Diversity web pages.  In this section you will find information on the age, gender, ethnicity, religion and disability of Kent residents.  

Data on the family structure of Kent residents and how it has changed over the last decade and how it is expected to change in the future, along with how many workless households there are, can be accessed via the Kent households page.