Newly published details from last year's UK Census (2021) shows some striking facts about Stroud District's population.


1. Stroud is growing more rapidly than the rest of England and Wales
On census day, 121,100 people were living in the area – up 7 per cent from 112,779 in 2011, when the last census was carried out.
England and Wales as a whole grew by 6.6 per cent over the same period, to now stand at 59.6 million.

2. There are areas of deprivation, but they are not extreme
The areas of the District with the highest deprivation are Stonehouse, Cam and Dursley. However all three places were below the average across England and Wales.
The areas of deprivation refer to whether any household member is either unemployed or long-term sick; whether no household member has at least a Level 2 education; whether anyone in the household has “bad” or “very bad” health or has a long-term health problem; and whether the household is either overcrowded, is shared, or has no central heating.
In Stonehouse – 51.6 per cent of households here were deprived in at least one dimension at the time of the 2021 census, down from 56.4 per cent in 2011
In Cam – 49 per cent, falling from 52.5 per cent in 2011
And in Dursley – 48.4 per cent, a drop from 52.2 per cent in 2011
By contrast, the neighbourhood with the lowest level of deprivation was Chalford and Bussage, at 38.7 per cent of households.

3. Stroud has an ageing population
Stroud has an ageing population, as the proportion of over-65s calling the area home rose in the last decade.
There were 28,200 people aged 65 and over living in Stroud on census day last year – up from 21,977 in 2011, when the Census was last carried out.
It means the proportion of over-65s living in the area rose over the last decade – from 19.5 per cent to 23.3 per cent.

4. But the number of younger people is rising too
There were 37,000 people aged 29 and under living in Stroud on March 21 last year, who accounted for 30.6 per cent of the population – up from 36,111 (32 per cent) in 2011.
Of them, 12,300 under-10s called Stroud home.

5. Nearly a third of people in Stroud are single
Nearly a third of people in Stroud were single as the number of marriage and civil partnerships dropped across the country in the past decade, the new census figures show.
The area follows trends across England and Wales, where the rate of single people has increased since the last census in 2011.
The number of people considered single – never having been in a civil partnership or marriage – in Stroud when the census took place last year was 30,922, up from 25388 in 2011.
Of those aged 16 and older in Stroud, 30.9 per cent were single – an increase on 27.5 per cent in 2011.
The picture was similar across England and Wales last year, where 37.9% of people 16 and older were single, up from 34.6% in 2011.