Bracknell Forest JSNA Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
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Population profile

A JSNA population profile for Bracknell Forest

Who lives in Bracknell Forest, how long they live and in what health, and how the borough compares with the South East and England across the life course.
Author

Public Health, Bracknell Forest

Published

September 2026

At a glance

130,806 people living in Bracknell Forest in mid-2024 Office for National Statistics
65–67 years of healthy life expectancy at birth — around 4 to 6 years above England OHID Public Health Profiles
Top 10% least deprived local authorities in England, though deprivation varies by ward Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025
16% of the population is aged 65 and over, and this share is growing Office for National Statistics

Population and demographics

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have estimated the population of Bracknell Forest to around 130,806 in the middle of 2024.

Breakdown by sex

Figure 1 Bracknell Forest population by sex, mid-2024
Source: Office for National Statistics
View the data as a table
sex people share
Males 64,300 49.2
Females 66,506 50.8

Breakdown by age

The age breakdown of the population is shown in the population pyramid which also compares this to the England average:

Figure 2 Bracknell Forest population by age and sex compared with England, mid-2024
Source: Office for National Statistics
View the data as a table
area age_band Males Females
Bracknell Forest Aged 0-4 2.81 2.78
Bracknell Forest Aged 5-9 3.12 2.89
Bracknell Forest Aged 10-14 3.44 3.18
Bracknell Forest Aged 15-19 3.18 3.07
Bracknell Forest Aged 20-24 2.47 2.04
Bracknell Forest Aged 25-29 3.09 3.08
Bracknell Forest Aged 30-34 3.49 3.89
Bracknell Forest Aged 35-39 3.74 4.05
Bracknell Forest Aged 40-44 3.77 3.95
Bracknell Forest Aged 45-49 3.31 3.50
Bracknell Forest Aged 50-54 3.35 3.49
Bracknell Forest Aged 55-59 3.21 3.30
Bracknell Forest Aged 60-64 2.84 2.97
Bracknell Forest Aged 65-69 2.26 2.41
Bracknell Forest Aged 70-74 1.84 1.93
Bracknell Forest Aged 75-79 1.52 1.87
Bracknell Forest Aged 80-84 0.90 1.14
Bracknell Forest Aged 85+ 0.81 1.28
England Aged 0-4 2.68 2.56
England Aged 5-9 2.97 2.83
England Aged 10-14 3.13 2.98
England Aged 15-19 3.08 2.90
England Aged 20-24 3.08 2.93
England Aged 25-29 3.29 3.34
England Aged 30-34 3.40 3.59
England Aged 35-39 3.35 3.60
England Aged 40-44 3.19 3.39
England Aged 45-49 2.91 3.03
England Aged 50-54 3.12 3.24
England Aged 55-59 3.22 3.36
England Aged 60-64 2.97 3.11
England Aged 65-69 2.45 2.59
England Aged 70-74 2.08 2.30
England Aged 75-79 1.93 2.22
England Aged 80-84 1.17 1.46
England Aged 85+ 0.97 1.56

The comparison with the England average shows that in Bracknell Forest there is a higher proportion of Children, aged 0 to 19, this then reduces substantially for those aged 20 to 29. For those aged 30 to 59 there is again a higher proportion than the England average. There is a lower proportion of people aged 60 and over.

Ethnic diversity

The Census in 2021 showed, 86.1% of Bracknell Forest’s population were from a White (incl. White British, White Other) background while 14% of residents were from ethnic minority groups, compared to 19% in England.

The biggest ethnic minority group in Bracknell Forest is Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh (7.1%), followed by Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups (3.1%), Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African (2.1%) and Other ethnic group (1.3%). This is similar to the South-East Region however the England average shows greater levels of diversity.

Figure 3 Population by ethnic group, Census 2021
Source: Office for National Statistics, Census 2021
View the data as a table
area Asian Black Mixed Other White
Bracknell Forest 7.13 2.40 3.09 1.30 86.09
South East 7.01 2.39 2.81 1.46 86.33
England 9.61 4.22 2.96 2.18 81.05

Life and healthy life expectancy

Both males and females in Bracknell Forest have a life expectancy which is substantially higher than the England average, it is also higher than the South-East average. The gap between males and females is also less than that seen in England and the South-East.

Figure 4 Male life expectancy at birth, 2023-25
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
area years
Bracknell Forest 81.6
South East 80.8
England 79.7
Figure 5 Female life expectancy at birth, 2023-25
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
area years
Bracknell Forest 85.6
South East 84.5
England 83.5

The Healthy Life expectancy for both males and females is substantially higher than the England and South-East averages. The gap between males and females is currently slightly greater than the England and South-East averages. The trend shows some variation in the gap but currently is seems to be widening.

Figure 6 Male healthy life expectancy at birth, 2022-24
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
area years
Bracknell Forest 65.2
South East 63.0
England 60.9
Figure 7 Female healthy life expectancy at birth, 2022-24
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
area years
Bracknell Forest 67.0
South East 64.3
England 61.3

The proportion of life expectancy that males and females can expect to be healthy is greater in Bracknell Forest than the England and South-East averages.

Figure 8 Percentage of life expectancy spent in good health, 2022-24
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
area Male Female
Bracknell Forest 80.3 78.6
South East 78.1 76.2
England 76.6 73.6

General health and disability

The data from the Census in 2021 allows us to analyse self-reported health status.

Figure 9 Self-reported health status: bad or very bad, Census 2021
Source: Office for National Statistics, Census 2021
View the data as a table
area rate_per_100k
Bracknell Forest 3,633
South East 4,227
England 5,315

The directly age standardised rate per 100,000 population, of people who stated their general health was bad or very bad is lower than the England and the South-East averages. This metric is used as part of the calculation of healthy life expectancy and is one of the factors which explain why it is higher than the England and South-East averages.

The census also asks if people would qualify as disabled under the equalities act.

Figure 10 Self-reported disability under the Equality Act, Census 2021
Source: Office for National Statistics, Census 2021
View the data as a table
area rate_per_100k
Bracknell Forest 14,489
South East 16,105
England 17,649

The directly standardised rate per 100,000 population of people disabled under the equalities act is lower in Bracknell Forest than in England and the South-East.

Deprivation

Bracknell Forest is within the 10% least deprived local authorities in England. More than a third of the borough’s neighbourhoods are in the 10% least deprived nationally. While none of Bracknell Forest’s neighbourhoods are in the 20% most deprived areas in England, there are areas of higher deprivation

The ward deprivation scores show a split into 2 groups of wards which have similar relative deprivation scores:

Figure 11 Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025 score by ward
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, IMD 2025
View the data as a table
ward_code ward imd25_score
E05015575 Whitegrove 3.2
E05014755 Binfield North & Warfield West 5.1
E05015574 Swinley Forest 5.2
E05014756 Binfield South & Jennett's Park 5.5
E05015571 Crowthorne 5.5
E05015573 Sandhurst 5.8
E05015576 Winkfield & Warfield East 6.7
E05014763 Owlsmoor & College Town 7.4
E05014761 Hanworth 14.5
E05014757 Bullbrook 14.6
E05014767 Town Centre & The Parks 14.9
E05014760 Great Hollands 14.9
E05015572 Harmans Water & Crown Wood 14.9
E05014759 Easthampstead & Wildridings 16.2
E05014764 Priestwood & Garth 16.8

Lower scores indicate lower levels of relative deprivation while higher scores indicate higher levels of relative deprivation. A score of less than 5.5 would be in the Top 10% for least deprived areas, while a score of around 15 would be in the 6th decile nationally which is around the average in England.

Starting well

  • Approximately 24,000 children and young people (aged under 18) live in Bracknell Forest, making up 18% of the total population. The number of children is expected to fall and the proportion likely to decrease faster as the effects of migration and people living longer increase the older populations at a faster rate.
  • Around 5,100 of children aged 0 to 15 live in low-income households based on the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) score of 19.5%
  • In 2025, 12.5% of school pupils received Special Educational Needs (SEN) support and 4.3% of the 0-25 years old resident population had an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Figure 12 General fertility rate, 2024
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
area rate
Bracknell Forest 50.7
South East 48.7
England 49.0

The general fertility rate in Bracknell Forest increased in 2024 beginning to reverse the trend seen since 2021 when it dropped from around 60 per 1,000 women to around 50 per thousand women.

Figure 13 Infant mortality rate
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
period Bracknell Forest South East England
2012 - 14 1.99 3.34 3.97
2013 - 15 2.24 3.22 3.89
2014 - 16 1.59 3.23 3.88
2015 - 17 2.79 3.42 3.92
2016 - 18 2.85 3.65 3.93
2017 - 19 3.15 3.69 3.95
2018 - 20 1.72 3.48 3.90
2019 - 21 1.20 3.40 3.93
2020 - 22 1.41 3.25 3.93
2021 - 23 2.15 3.26 4.06
2022 - 24 2.23 3.24 4.17

The Infant Mortality Rate (the rate of mortality in children aged under 1 year old) is lower than the England and South-East average but has risen in recent years.

Figure 14 Reception prevalence of overweight including obesity, 2024-25
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
area percent
Bracknell Forest 21.7
South East 22.4
England 23.5
Figure 15 Year 6 prevalence of overweight including obesity, 2024-25
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
area percent
Bracknell Forest 32.7
South East 32.7
England 36.2

Over a fifth of children in Reception Year of Primary School (Age 4-5) and around a third of children in Year 6 of Primary School (Age 10-11) are overweight, this is likely to impact the future health outcomes of those children.

Figure 16 16 and 17 year olds not in education, employment or training, 2024-25
Source: Department for Education
View the data as a table
area percent
Bracknell Forest 4.4
South East 7.0
England 5.6

Just under 5% of Young People aged 16 and 17 are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), this is lower than the England and South-East averages. Employment is generally seen as beneficial to mental health and wellbeing. Reducing this further will support improvements in wider population health outcomes.

Figure 17 Economic inactivity, aged 16 to 24
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Population Survey
View the data as a table
area Persons 16-24 Males 16-24 Females 16-24
Bracknell Forest 33.3 30.5 39.7
South East 38.5 37.2 40.0
England 40.3 39.4 41.2

Similarly to the NEET data, economic inactivity among young people aged 16 to 24 is lower than the England and South-East averages. However there is a disparity by sex, males in Bracknell Forest are less likely to be economically inactive than the England and South East averages, where as in females the percentage is similar to that seen in England and the South East.

Figure 18 Children Looked After whose emotional wellbeing is a cause for concern, 2024-25
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
area percent
Bracknell Forest 53
South East 45
England 42

In Bracknell Forest over half of Children Looked After (CLA) whose emotional wellbeing is a cause for concern. This is higher than the England and South-East averages.

Figure 19 Statutory homeless assessed as owed a duty, by age band, December 2025
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
View the data as a table
area 16-17 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+
Bracknell Forest 0.0 26.5 26.5 23.5 10.2 9.2 3.1 1.0
South East 0.4 17.5 26.9 23.9 15.5 9.8 4.2 1.8
England 0.6 16.8 28.5 25.3 15.3 8.7 3.5 1.3

There are around 100 people in Bracknell Forest defined as Homeless who are owed a statutory duty. This cohort of the population is younger than that seen in England or the South-East. Over half the people who are homeless and owed a statutory duty and under the age of 35, while in England it is just over two-fifths of this population.

Living well

  • Approximately 86,000 people (aged 15 to 64) live in Bracknell Forest, making up 66% of the total population.
Figure 20 Under-75 mortality rate from causes considered preventable, 2022-24
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
area rate_per_100k
Bracknell Forest 120.1
South East 126.5
England 151.2

The premature mortality rate from causes considered preventable in Bracknell Forest is lower than the England and South-East averages.

Figure 21 Under-75 mortality rate from cancer, 2025
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
area rate_per_100k
Bracknell Forest 106.4
South East 109.6
England 114.6
Figure 22 Under-75 mortality rate from cardiovascular disease, 2025
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
area rate_per_100k
Bracknell Forest 50.6
South East 59.1
England 71.5

The premature mortality rate from both cancer and cardiovascular disease is lower than the England and South-East averages, the rate in cardiovascular diseases has fallen in recent years, while the rate in Cancer has remained broadly consistent. Impacting cancer mortality may help improve wider outcomes across the Borough.

Figure 23 Suicide mortality rate
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
period Bracknell Forest South East England
2012 - 14 6.42 10.05 9.97
2013 - 15 8.07 10.14 10.12
2014 - 16 7.93 9.75 9.91
2015 - 17 10.44 9.36 9.54
2016 - 18 9.10 9.14 9.60
2017 - 19 9.08 9.54 10.05
2018 - 20 7.92 10.03 10.31
2019 - 21 8.33 10.51 10.40
2020 - 22 6.80 10.43 10.33
2021 - 23 7.89 10.39 10.73
2022 - 24 9.68 10.40 10.95

The suicide mortality rate in Bracknell Forest is lower than the England and South-East average. In recent years this has been increasing at a faster rate than that seen in England and the South-East, reversing an earlier downward trend seen in the early 2020’s.

Figure 24 Emergency hospital admissions for intentional self-harm, 2023-24
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
area rate_per_100k
Bracknell Forest 125.1
South East 125.4
England 117.0

The rate of Hospital admissions for intentional self-harm is similar to the South-East but higher than the England average.

Figure 25 Premature mortality in adults with severe mental illness, 2021-23
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
area rate_per_100k
Bracknell Forest 86.6
South East 90.3
England 110.8

Premature mortality in adults with a severe mental illness (SMI) is lower than the England and South-East averages following a greater reduction in the latest years data than was seen in England and the South-East.

Figure 26 Domestic abuse related incidents and crimes, 2024-25
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
area rate_per_1000
Bracknell Forest 27.5
South East 24.4
England 26.8

Domestic abuse related incidents have been increasing in recent years in Bracknell Forest, and the rate of these incidents is now higher than the England and South-East average.

Figure 27 Employment rate by sex, aged 16 to 64, 12 months to December 2025
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Population Survey
View the data as a table
area Males Females
Bracknell Forest 85.6 78.8
South East 81.6 76.3
England 78.8 72.7
Figure 28 Employment rate by ethnicity, aged 16 to 64, 12 months to December 2025
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Population Survey
View the data as a table
area Population Ethnic Minority
Bracknell Forest 82.4 81.0
South East 78.9 76.9
England 75.8 70.2

The employment rate in Bracknell Forest is higher than the England and South-East average, this is also true when split by sex and ethnicity with both males and females seeing higher employment rates than seen in England and the South-East, the gap between males and females is greater than that seen elsewhere. The ethnic minority employment rate in Bracknell Forest is higher than the England and South-East averages and the gap is slightly smaller.

Figure 29 Personal Independence Payment claimants, aged 20 to 64
Source: Department for Work and Pensions
View the data as a table
area rate_per_1000
Bracknell Forest 61.5
South East 75.3
England 106.6

As might be expected from the employment rate figures the rate of Personal Independence Claimants is lower than the England and South-East averages. When analysed by disability, the proportion of claims relating to a mental health condition is slightly higher in Bracknell Forest at 43% than the England (39%) and South-East (41%) averages.

Figure 30 Personal Independence Payment claimants by disabling condition
Source: Department for Work and Pensions
View the data as a table
area Neurological Musculoskeletal Mental Health Other
Bracknell Forest 14.3 25.4 42.6 17.6
South East 13.2 28.1 40.9 17.8
England 12.7 30.5 38.9 17.9

The proportion of claims relating to neurological conditions is also slightly higher while the proportion of claims relating to Musculoskeletal conditions is slightly lower.

Figure 31 Total recorded offences excluding fraud, South East authorities, 12 months to December 2025
Source: Office for National Statistics, Police recorded crime
View the data as a table
area rate_per_1000
Southampton 120.26
Portsmouth 112.86
East Sussex 104.12
Brighton and Hove 101.76
Reading 95.73
Kent 95.04
Milton Keynes 87.29
Slough 86.34
Isle of Wight 75.70
Oxfordshire 59.77
Surrey 59.70
Windsor and Maidenhead 58.19
Hampshire 57.44
West Berkshire 55.77
Buckinghamshire 53.55
Bracknell Forest 52.96
West Sussex 46.31
Wokingham 40.44

Bracknell Forest has the third lowest total recorded crime rate and victim based crime in the South-East of England.

Figure 32 Adults with a drug treatment need who engage in community treatment after release from prison, 2024-25
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
area percent
Bracknell Forest 34.2
South East 54.0
England 57.1

The proportion of people leaving prison who need drug treatment services who then engage with the service is lower in Bracknell Forest than the England and South-East averages.

Ageing well

  • Approximately 21,000 people (aged 65 and over) live in Bracknell Forest, making up 16% of the total population.
Figure 33 Emergency hospital admissions due to falls, aged 65 and over
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
period Bracknell Forest South East England
2010/11 1,735.1 2,093.3 2,125.8
2011/12 2,374.4 2,079.2 2,128.5
2012/13 2,149.9 2,047.8 2,099.6
2013/14 1,974.3 2,139.0 2,160.2
2014/15 2,178.8 2,164.1 2,208.6
2015/16 2,508.4 2,149.6 2,183.8
2016/17 2,521.4 2,152.5 2,132.6
2017/18 2,553.1 2,212.2 2,194.2
2018/19 2,804.7 2,180.5 2,228.2
2019/20 2,422.0 2,363.2 2,256.4
2020/21 2,109.0 2,175.9 2,062.0
2021/22 1,993.6 2,191.7 2,099.9
2022/23 NA 1,839.4 1,932.7
2023/24 2,009.5 2,027.3 1,983.4
2024/25 1,798.9 2,018.5 1,958.1

The rate of emergency admissions for falls has reduced within Bracknell Forest in the last few years and it is now similar to the England and South-East averages.

Figure 34 Estimated dementia diagnosis rate, aged 65 and over, 2026
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
area percent
Bracknell Forest 62.0
South East 64.2
England 66.3

The increasing older population and the number living longer means the number of people living with Dementia is increasing. The people diagnosed with dementia and registered with their GP as a proportion of the estimated number of people with dementia (the diagnosis rate) is lower than the England and South-East averages.

Figure 35 People aged 65 and over in receipt of long term adult social care
Source: OHID Public Health Profiles, Fingertips
View the data as a table
period Bracknell Forest South East England
2017/18 8.40 10.03 12.05
2018/19 8.11 10.30 12.08
2019/20 8.32 10.45 12.08
2020/21 8.37 10.52 12.07
2021/22 7.81 10.03 11.65
2022/23 8.20 10.31 11.83
2023/24 8.13 10.43 12.15
2024/25 9.22 10.43 12.40

The proportion of the population aged 65 and over in receipt of long term adult social care services has increased in the last couple of years but remains lower than the England and South-East averages.

Figure 36 Adult social care users who have as much social contact as they would like, aged 18 and over, 2024-25
Source: NHS England, Adult Social Care Survey
View the data as a table
area percent
Bracknell Forest 49.8
South East 46.2
England 45.4
Figure 37 Adult social care carers who have as much social contact as they would like, aged 18 and over, 2023-24
Source: NHS England, Survey of Adult Carers in England
View the data as a table
area percent
Bracknell Forest 32.1
South East 25.9
England 30.0

Around half of people in Bracknell Forest who draw on care and support say they have as much social contact as they would like, this is substantially higher than the England and South-East averages. Similarly around a third of unpaid carers say they have enough social contact which is also higher than the England and South-East averages.

Figure 38 Number of Winter Fuel Payments made in Bracknell Forest
Source: Department for Work and Pensions
View the data as a table
period payments
2020-21 17,129
2021-22 17,528
2022-23 17,974
2023-24 18,636
2024-25 1,568

The number of pensioners in Bracknell Forest receiving Winter Fuel Payments in 2024-25 reduced by nearly 90% following the introduction of changes to entitlement which were introduced in 2024. This will change again following the introduction of further changes to entitlement which were introduced in 2025.

Acronyms This page uses abbreviations that may not be familiar. Every acronym used across the JSNA deep dives, the population profile and the deprivation profile is listed and explained, with a search box, on the JSNA acronyms page.