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A changing city

Leicester has seen many changes between the Census in 2011 and 2021. Below are some key findings and notable changes in the city.

  • Since 2011, population density in Leicester has increased, and the city remains the most densely populated local authority area across the East Midlands.
  • Leicester has one of the lowest average (median) ages in in the East Midlands at 33 years of age (England is 40 years). This is an increase of two years since 2011. 
  • Ethnic diversity has continued to increase in the city since the 2011 Census was conducted.
  • The percentage of residents who are married has increased from 41.5% to 43.1%. Across the East Midlands as a whole, there has been a decline from 48.8% to 45.8%. 
  • Private renting in Leicester has increased, with the city seeing the largest increase in the in the East Midlands (22.7% in 2011 to 29.4% in 2021).
  • Just over 1 in 10 residences in Leicester are over occupied.
  • The percentage of 16+ in employment has continued to increase from 49.4% in 2011 to 50.4% in 2021. 
  • In Leicester, approximately 1 in 4 people aged 16 and over have no qualifications 
  • Economic inactivity (excl. FT students and retirees) has increased from 1 in 7 16+ year olds in 2011 to 1 in 6. 
  • The proportion of residents providing more than 50 hours of unpaid care per week decreased from 3.2% in 2011 to 3%. 

*It should be noted that the 2021 Census was conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic which may have influenced how this question was answered.

For more information

For a more detailed look at Leicester’s Census results for 2021, see the following, or view our focused reports at Living in Leicester.

If you’d like to access any of the data used to develop these reports, go to our Open Data platform.

National resources