Population

Introduction

Population data looks at the number of people living in an area.  Data on population, population change and particularly growth are important for planning services.

Data comes from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and is based on the number of people counted as part of the 2011 Census.

Every year, the ONS produces as estimate of the number of people living in the area, their age, and their gender. These are national projections based on factors such as births, deaths, and migration into and out of an area.

Facts, figures and trends

50.6% of the population were female and 49.4% were male in June 2016.

The most recent estimate available for Bracknell Forest is the mid-2016 estimate (accessed 12 December 2017).

Population mid-year estimate

Mid-2013

Mid-2014

Mid-2015

Mid-2016

England and Wales

56,948,200

57,408,700

57,885,400

58,381,300

Bracknell Forest

116,600

118,000

118,982

119,447

Expressed as percentage change, Bracknell Forest is growing faster than the England and South East estimates:

% population growth mid-year 2011-12 to 2013-14

The population ‘pyramid’ below shows the percentage of the total population in Bracknell Forest by ages and gender compared to the population of England and Wales as a whole:

Bracknell Forest population structure compared to England (2016 mid-year estimate)

Source: Office for National Statistics

As a share of the total population, there are slightly more young children aged 0 to 4 living in Bracknell Forest than the national average. A lower share of people in the 20-24 age category live in Bracknell compared to the national average. There is also a higher share of people of working age and a lower share of older people aged 65 and over.

Projected age profile

The ONS produces estimates of the number of people who are expected to be living in an area in the future including what age and what gender these people will be.
England’s population continues to age with the proportion of people aged 65 and over reaching 18% in 2016. The median age mid-2016 was 39.8 years and 38.7 years in Bracknell Forest.

By 2021, the population in Bracknell Forest is estimated to increase by almost 12,000 people from the mid-2012 estimate. The older population is expected to increase at the greatest rate followed by the younger adult population and the child population aged 5 to 14.  This will have an impact on the type and scale of future services.

The figures do not take into account local factors such as new housing development or the Bracknell Town centre regeneration which it is expected will draw more people into the area.

What is clear is that population has changed since 2004:

Bracknell Forest population structure 2014 compared to 2004

Based on mid-2014 estimates, the chart below shows the 65+ population will see the greatest projected increase to 2037:

Population projections by broad age group - Bracknell Forest

Ward level population

The graph below shows population estimates at ward level in Bracknell Forest for mid-2014 and mid-2016. This gives an indication of the most populated areas and change in estimated population:

Estimated ward populations (mid-year 2014 and 2016)

The following chart compares mid-2004 population estimates to mid-2014 estimates to give an indication of change in ward population:

% population change (all ages) by ward mid-2004 to mid-2014 (adjusted for boundary changes)

Ward age profile

The following graph shows ward poulation estimtes by age group:

Bracknell Forest ward population estimates by age group (mid-2016)

Changes over time

Broken down by age, the following comparison between the 2004 and 2014 populations highlight the changing characteristics of Bracknell Forest wards for populations aged 0-19 and 65+.  Local change reflects the predicted growth in these two groups predicted by the ONS.  These changes will influence what and how services are commissioned and provided in the future:

Comparison of population aged 0-19 by ward 2004 to 2014

Comparison of population aged 65+ by ward 2004 to 2014

Recommendations and considerations

Commissioners and providers of support and services will need to consider the changing demographics of the borough.

This page was created in February 2014 and last updated on 12 December 2017.

Cite this page:

Bracknell Forest Council. (2017). JSNA – Population. Available at: jsna.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/bracknell-forest-profile/demography/population (Accessed: dd Mmmm yyyy.)

 

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