Census 2021 Results: West Midlands

West Midlands at a Glance

The 2021 Census recorded 5,950,800 usual residents in the West Midlands region, up from 5.60 million in 2011 — a growth of 6.2%, almost exactly matching the national average. The region encompasses 30 local authority districts, with the seven metropolitan boroughs of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) at its core: Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and Wolverhampton.

Indicator	West Midlands	England & Wales
Total population	5,950,800	56,489,800
Population growth (2011–21)	+6.2%	+6.3%
Median age	39	40
Born outside UK	14.8%	17.4%
White British	72.0%	74.4%
Degree or higher (age 16+)	29.1%	33.8%
Home ownership	61.5%	61.3%

Birmingham: England's Second City

Birmingham is the largest local authority in England by population. The 2021 Census counted 1,144,900 residents, up 6.7% from 2011. It is a young city (median age 34), highly diverse, and economically polarised.

Ethnic Diversity

Birmingham is the most diverse large city in England outside London:

• White British: 42.9% (down from 53.1% in 2011)
• Asian or Asian British: 27.4% (predominantly Pakistani at 14.7%, Indian at 6.0%, Bangladeshi at 4.4%)
• Black or Black British: 9.0% (African 4.7%, Caribbean 3.2%)
• Mixed/Multiple: 5.5%

The South Asian population is concentrated in inner-city wards: Sparkhill, Sparkbrook, Alum Rock, Small Heath, Washwood Heath, and Handsworth. These areas have high youth dependency ratios and larger household sizes. The Balti Triangle in Sparkbrook-Sparkhill is one of the most densely populated areas in the West Midlands.

Age Profile

Birmingham has one of the youngest populations of any English city:

• 24.5% aged 0–15 (vs. 18.3% nationally)
• 67.8% aged 16–64
• 13.5% aged 65+ (vs. 18.4% nationally)

This youthful profile is driven by two factors: the large South Asian population (which has higher birth rates than the national average) and five universities (University of Birmingham, Aston, Birmingham City, Newman, University College Birmingham) that collectively enrol over 80,000 students.

Deprivation

Birmingham is among the most deprived local authorities in England:

• 27% of LSOAs in the most deprived decile
• 7.3% reported "bad" or "very bad" health (vs. 5.3% nationally)
• 22.3% of adults have no qualifications (vs. 18.2% nationally)

However, Birmingham also contains affluent areas: Sutton Coldfield (merged into Birmingham in 1974) has deprivation profiles comparable to Solihull, and the Jewellery Quarter/Edgbaston areas have high-income professional populations.

The Black Country

The four Black Country boroughs — Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, and Wolverhampton — had a combined population of approximately 1.14 million in 2021. These are former heavy-industrial areas (steel, glass, chain-making, engineering) that have been transitioning to a service economy for decades.

Key Statistics

Borough	Population	Median Age	White British %	IMD Most Deprived Decile %
Dudley	323,500	42	78.6%	15%
Sandwell	341,900	36	52.9%	31%
Walsall	284,100	40	67.7%	22%
Wolverhampton	263,700	38	57.3%	25%

Sandwell is the most deprived of the four, with 31% of its LSOAs in the most deprived national decile. It is also the most diverse, with significant South Asian, Black Caribbean, and Eastern European communities. Dudley is older and more homogeneous, with a demographic profile closer to non-metropolitan England.

Coventry

Coventry recorded 345,300 residents in 2021, up 8.9% from 2011 — the fastest growth in the West Midlands. Two Coventry-specific factors drove this:

1. University expansion: Coventry University and the University of Warwick (technically in Coventry) together enrol over 50,000 students, many of whom are counted in the census.
2. International migration: Coventry received disproportionately high numbers of migrants in the 2010s, including refugees and asylum seekers. The born-outside-UK proportion is 23.3% — higher than the regional average.

Coventry is ethnically diverse: 60.7% White British, 15.8% Asian, 7.4% Black. It has a young median age of 33, driven by students and new migrant communities.

Solihull and the Rural West Midlands

Solihull (population 216,200) is the most affluent part of the metropolitan West Midlands. Home ownership is 72.4%, the highest in the WMCA area. Only 5% of its LSOAs are in the most deprived decile. Solihull's demographics look more like the South East than the rest of the West Midlands: 81.2% White British, median age 43, 38.8% degree-holders.

Beyond the metropolitan area, the West Midlands region includes:

• Warwickshire (Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, Rugby) — affluent, older, highly educated
• Worcestershire — mixed, with deprivation in Redditch and Wyre Forest contrasting with prosperity in Malvern Hills
• Staffordshire — post-industrial in the north (Stoke-on-Trent), rural in the south (South Staffordshire, Lichfield)
• Shropshire and Herefordshire — deeply rural, sparse populations, older demographics, limited ethnic diversity

Stoke-on-Trent

Stoke-on-Trent (population 256,400) is a unitary authority within the broader West Midlands region and one of the most deprived cities in England. It has high levels of economic inactivity (27.4% of working-age adults), low qualifications (27.2% with no qualifications — among the highest in England), and poor health outcomes. Its population has been essentially static since 2011, contrasting with the growth in nearby Birmingham and Coventry.

Housing and Tenure

The West Midlands housing market is more affordable than London or the South East, with home ownership (61.5%) close to the national average. However, there is sharp variation:

• Highest ownership: Solihull (72.4%), South Staffordshire (78.0%), Stratford-on-Avon (73.1%)
• Highest social renting: Sandwell (22.6%), Birmingham (21.8%), Wolverhampton (20.4%)
• Highest private renting: Coventry (26.8%), Birmingham (23.8%)

Overcrowding is concentrated in the metropolitan boroughs, particularly Sandwell and Birmingham, where large household sizes in South Asian communities combine with limited housing stock.

Health and Wellbeing

The West Midlands reports below-average health:

• 44.8% reported "very good" health (vs. 48.5% nationally)
• 6.4% reported "bad" or "very bad" health (vs. 5.3% nationally)

Health deprivation is concentrated in the metropolitan boroughs and Stoke-on-Trent. Sandwell has some of the lowest life expectancy figures in England (male life expectancy approximately 76 years, compared to the national average of 79). Obesity rates, smoking prevalence, and rates of limiting long-term illness are all above national averages in the urban West Midlands.

The rural parts of the region (Warwickshire, Shropshire, south Staffordshire) report health outcomes closer to or better than the national average.

Economy and Qualifications

The West Midlands has lower qualification levels than the national average:

• 29.1% hold a degree or higher (vs. 33.8% nationally)
• 21.4% have no qualifications (vs. 18.2% nationally)

The region has historically depended on manufacturing, and while this has declined, the automotive sector (Jaguar Land Rover in Solihull, BMW in Oxford) and advanced manufacturing (Rolls-Royce, GKN) remain significant. The transition to a knowledge economy is ongoing but uneven.

Birmingham's qualification profile is polarised: 33.2% have degrees (boosted by graduates staying after university) but 22.3% have no qualifications (reflecting the large population in deprived inner-city areas with limited educational attainment).

Frequently Asked Questions

---

Related Guides