Migration information from the 2001 Census
The 2001 Census asked residents if they had changed address in the year leading up to 29 April 2001 and requested that they record where they had moved from. As a result of this we now have valuable information on migration in the year leading up to the census. In Shropshire, 11% or 32,219 residents had moved either into or within the area in the year before the census. To view or download further analysis of the 2001 Census migration data please select the file attached to this page entitled 'p04-0015 migration results from the 2001 census.pdf'.
Other sources of migration information
Obtaining reliable information on the migration of the population is very difficult. In the UK there is no requirement for people to register when they change address, as is the case with births and deaths. The census is a valuable resource of migration information, however it only provides information for one year in every decade making it unsuitable for monitoring migration on an annual basis.
This means that statisticians preparing annual mid-year population estimates have to use the best available sources of information. These sources are:
- The National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR) and Patient Registration data for internal migration.
- The International Passenger Survey data for international migration.
- The Home Office visitor switcher data.
- The Home Office asylum seeker data.
- The Irish Central Statistics Office data for migration between the UK and Ireland.
The last four sets of data are only available at a national or regional level. This is due to confidentiality issues and the reliability of the survey sample size at any area below regional level.
Limited data is available from the NHSCR and Patient Register down to a local authority level. For further information on migration please follow the link on this page to the National Statistics website.
National Statistics are continuing to work to improve the quality of migration and population statistics. This work has been incorporated into the preparation of the 2009 mid-year population estimates (published at the end of June 2010). One topic the work has addressed is the need to improve the quality of international migration data.
Information for Telford and Wrekin area
Please note that many of the facts and figures available on these pages relate to the administrative area covered by Shropshire Council and therefore exclude Telford and Wrekin. For information on Telford and Wrekin please select the link on this page.