The Census is the most comprehensive single survey of the United Kingdom population. It aims to count all people and households at the same time. The Census asks a core set of questions which allows comparison between different areas of the country and different groups of people.

The information from the Census enables central and local government to target resources and plan service provision more effectively. It also provides a broad range of demographic, social and economic information for use by other public services, the business and academic sectors, and the community.

The Census has been carried out every 10 years since 1801, with the exception of 1941. The most recent Census was held on 27th March 2011.

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