Cumbria - Demography

Demography

Barrow-in-Furness Kendal Whitehaven Workington Penrith Maryport Ulverston
The largest settlements in Cumbria

Cumbria's largest settlement and only city is Carlisle, in the north of the county. The largest town, Barrow-in-Furness, in the south, is slightly smaller. The county's population is largely rural: it has the second lowest population density among English counties, and has only five towns with a population of over 20,000. Cumbria is also one of the country's most ethnically homogeneous counties, with 95.1% of the population categorised as White British (around 470,900 of the 495,000 Cumbrians). However, the larger towns have ethnic makeups that are closer to the national average. The 2001 census indicated that Christianity was the religion with the most adherents in the county.

2010 ONS estimates placed the number of foreign-born (non-United Kingdom) people living in Cumbria at around 14,000 and foreign nationals at 6,000. The 2001 UK Census showed the following most common countries of birth for Cumbrians that year:

  • England – 454,137
  • Scotland – 16,628
  • Wales – 3,471
  • Northern Ireland – 2,289
  • Germany – 1,438
  • Republic of Ireland – 1,359
  • South Africa – 603
  • Canada – 581
  • Australia – 531
  • United States – 493
  • India – 476
  • Hong Kong – 417
  • Italy – 249
  • New Zealand – 241
  • France – 197
  • Poland – 193
  • Cyprus – 174
  • Netherlands – 167
  • Spain – 166
  • Singapore – 160
Population totals for Cumbria
Year Population Year Population Year Population
1801 173,017 1871 365,556 1941 456,833
1811 193,139 1881 410,856 1951 471,897
1821 225,555 1891 434,867 1961 473,706
1831 242,320 1901 437,364 1971 475,669
1841 255,603 1911 440,485 1981 471,693
1851 274,957 1921 441,483 1991 489,191
1861 320,257 1931 442,693 2001 487,607
Pre-1974 statistics were gathered from local government areas that now comprise Cumbria
Source: Great Britain Historical GIS.

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