Demography
| Shrewsbury & Atcham Compared | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 UK Census | S'bury & Atch. | West Midlands | England |
| Total population | 95,850 | 5,267,308 | 49,138,831 |
| White | 98.5% | 86.2% | 87.0% |
| Asian | 0.4% | 7.3% | 4.6% |
| Black | 0.1% | 2.0% | 2.3% |
| Over 65 years old | 17.2% | 16.0% | 15.9% |
| Christian | 77.9% | 72.6% | 71.7% |
| No Religion | 13.7% | 12.3% | 14.6% |
According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, the population of the town of Shrewsbury is 67,126. The same census puts the population of the borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham at 95,850. In 1981 the population of the town was 57,731 and in 1991 the population of the town was 64,219. Shrewsbury is Shropshire's second largest town, after Telford. The population of the town centre (the area within the loop of the Severn) is approximately 1,300. In line with the rapid growth of town population, a 2005 report on prison population in the UK has found that the prison, HMP Shrewsbury, is the most overcrowded in England and Wales.
The 2001 census also indicates that the population of the town consists of 51.1% females, and 48.9% males, which echoes the trend of Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough, and that of Shropshire as a whole. According to the same census, the ethnic composition of the town is largely white, at 98.5% of the total population. The next largest ethnic group is mixed race, at 0.5% of the town's population. 0.4% of the population is Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi, and 0.1% of the population is South Asian or British Asian. A further 0.1% is Black, Caribbean or African.
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