Ashford

South East · England
-25.1pp WBI 82.6% → 57.5% by 2051 (20-group HP, Census-direct, SNPP-constrained)
132,747 Population (2021 Census)
82.6% White British (2021)
67.4% White British (2041 projected)
57.5% White British (2051 projected)

Ethnic composition

Census 2021 observed data with Hamilton-Perry projections to 2061.

white british 82.6%
white other 5.4%
asian 5.8%
black 2.6%
mixed 2.2%
other 1.4%

Projected 2051

white british 57.5%
white other 8.5%
asian 19.0%
black 9.0%
mixed 4.9%
other 1.2%

What's driving change?

Shift-share decomposes demographic change into national trend, structural composition, and local factors. Dominant driver: national trend.

-6.8pp Total WBI change
-6.4pp National effect
-0.8pp Structural effect
+0.3pp Local effect

Diversity index

moderately diverse Shannon entropy: 0.40 · Dissimilarity: 8.7

Religion

Census 2021 religious composition with projections.

2021 [object Object]
2031 [object Object]
2041 [object Object]
2051 [object Object]

Country of birth

UK-born (2021) 86.6%
Foreign-born (2021) 13.4%
Foreign-born (2051 projected) 55.3%

English proficiency

mainLanguageEnglishPct 93.2%
notEnglishPct 13.6%
cannotSpeakEnglishPct 0.0%

Service demand pressure

46/100 Moderate Pressure Rank 109 of 320
Ethnic change20/20
Asylum6/20
School0/20
Language0/20
Housing20/20

Economic profile

Avg employment rate57.4%
Avg home ownership62.1%
Avg social rent12.8%
Degree or above27.7%
No qualifications16.1%

Housing demand projection

Census 2021 tenure patterns by ethnicity, projected to 2041 from demographic composition change.

Ownership (2021)62.1%
Social rent (2021)12.8%
Private rent (2021)16.7%
Ownership (2041)53.6%
Social rent (2041)11%
Social rent change-1.7pp

High foreign-born population growth will drive additional housing demand, particularly in the private rented sector.

English proficiency

mainLanguageEnglishPct 93.2%
notEnglishPct 13.6%
cannotSpeakEnglishPct 0.0%
Projected non-English growth+15.2pp

Interpreter demand is manageable at current levels.

Updated 14 Apr 2026 · Census 2021, ONS SNPP, DfE School Census