Dacorum

East of England · England
Location map showing Dacorum highlighted against neighbouring local authorities.
-29.2pp WBI 78.7% → 49.6% by 2051 (20-group HP, Census-direct, SNPP-constrained)
155,081 Population (2021 Census)
78.7% White British (2021)
61.4% -17.3pp White British (2041 projected)
49.6% -29.2pp White British (2051 projected)

Ethnic composition trajectory

Census 2011 and 2021 observed, Hamilton-Perry projections to 2061. Shaded band shows 80% confidence interval for White British share.

Ethnic composition, Dacorum

0 23 45 68 91 % Census 2021 Illustrative White British 38% White Other 36% Asian 8% Black 5% Mixed 12% 20112021203120412051
White British White Other Asian Black Mixed 80% CI

Ethnic composition: Dacorum

Census 2011, Census 2021, then Hamilton-Perry projections to 2051. Percentages.

2011
86%
2021
79%
8%
2031 proj
71%
12%
2041 proj
61%
18%
2051 proj
50%
27%
8%
9%
2061 proj
38%
36%
8%
12%
White British White Other Asian Black Mixed Other

Two-model comparison: White British, 2051

±8.0pp spread
Hamilton-Perry (HP) central 49.6% Cohort change ratios from Census 2011 to 2021. Demographic momentum only, no fertility convergence.
Cohort-component 57.6% Births by ethnicity-specific total fertility rate (TFR) with half-convergence to the national mean by 2061. Slower change.

Two independent models trained on the same Census base disagree by 8.0pp on White British share in Dacorum by 2051. HP captures observed 2011 to 2021 cohort dynamics. The cohort-component model adds explicit fertility assumptions that pull projections toward the national mean. The chart above shows HP. See the methodology for why both numbers are published.

Scenario explorer

Under different assumptions, White British share in Dacorum ranges from 49.5% to 64.0% by 2051: a 14.4pp spread.

Fertility
Low ~108k/yr
Principal ~315k/yr
High ~476k/yr
Constant Rates stay at current levels
Half convergence Move halfway to national avg
Full convergence Converge to national avg
Migration
Central scenario: WBI 55.0% by 2051

What’s driving change

Shift-share splits the change in White British share into national trend, age structure, and local factors. Dominant driver: national trend.

Why Dacorum is changing

-7.2pp
National trend
-6.4pp
Age structure
-0.5pp
Local migration
-0.4pp

White British change 2011–2021. Cyan = decline. Amber = growth.

Diversity index

moderately diverse Shannon entropy: 0.46 · Dissimilarity: 6.8

Religion

Census 2021 religious composition with projections to 2051.

Religious composition trajectory

0 20 39 59 79 % Census 2021 Christian 16% No religion 74% Muslim 6% 2021203120412051
Christian No religion Muslim

Country of birth

UK-born vs foreign-born share, with projection to 2051.

Nativity trajectory

9 30 50 70 91 % Census 2021 UK-born 43% Foreign-born 57% 2021203120412051
UK-born Foreign-born

English proficiency

Census 2021

Main language English93.8%
Main language not English6.2%
Cannot speak English well0.7%
Cannot speak English at all0.1%
Total population 3+149,502

ONS Census 2021 (TS029) via NOMIS. Reference date 21 March 2021.

Projection

Projected non-English growth +17.3pp

Interpreter demand is manageable at current levels.

Service demand pressure

54/100 Moderate Pressure Rank 72 of 320
Ethnic change20/20
Asylum14/20
School0/20
Language0/20
Housing20/20

New arrivals (NINo registrations)

Adults from overseas registering for a National Insurance number, rolling year ending Oct-25 to Dec-25. Dacorum ranks at the 51th percentile nationally for total NINo registrations.

Registrations (rolling year)590
Year-on-year -16.0%
NationalityRegistrationsShare
India 119 20.2%
Pakistan 56 9.5%
Ghana 53 9.0%
Eritrea 50 8.5%
Nigeria 36 6.1%
Afghanistan 30 5.1%
Iran 27 4.6%
Sudan 26 4.4%
Ukraine 25 4.2%
Romania 20 3.4%

DWP National Insurance number allocations to adult overseas nationals (Stat-Xplore NINO database).. NINo registrations measure new arrivals into the National Insurance system, not total foreign-born population. A NINo is allocated when an overseas national requests one, usually to start work or claim benefits, so the figure misses students and dependants who never enter the labour market. Small (LA × nationality) cells are suppressed by Stat-Xplore for disclosure control.

Arrivals over the last 24 years

Annual NINo registrations to adults from overseas in Dacorum from 2002 to 2025, alongside the UK total for context. The peak year was 2023 (1,322 registrations). Total over the full period: 18,129 registrations.

03316619921,322 0k268k537k805k1073k 200220052010201520202025 peak 2023 (1,322) low 2004 (265) Dacorum (annual) UK (annual)

DWP Stat-Xplore, NINO Registrations to Adult Overseas Nationals Entering the UK (Ninos cube), aggregated per calendar year by summing the four constituent quarters. Geography: ONS LA codes. Counts are NEW NINo registrations per calendar year. A NINo is issued once per person at the point of first work or claim, so this is a flow measure, not a stock. People who arrive but never register (some students, dependants, retirees) are excluded. Late registrations show in a later year than the year of arrival. Pre-2010 figures used a different administrative system; series is comparable but small methodological revisions to the early years are possible.

Who is arriving

Age and sex profile of 708 NINo registrations to adults from overseas in Dacorum in 2025. National comparison shown alongside.

Age at registration

Less than 18 10.9%
18-24 30.1%
25-29 23.2%
30-34 13.8%
35-39 7.5%
40-44 5.8%
45-49 1.7%
50-54 0.7%
55-59 1.4%
60 or over 4.9%

Dacorum   UK marker

Sex

Male 57.9% Female 42.1%

Male share is 3.5pp higher than the UK average (54.4%).

DWP Stat-Xplore Ninos cube, LA × Age band × Sex, rolling year ending Q4 2025 (Jan-Dec 2025 calendar year). Counts are NEW NINo registrations to adult overseas nationals. Age is age at NINo registration, not age at arrival. The registration may follow arrival by months. 'Less than 18' is rare in this dataset because the published Ninos series is filtered to adult overseas nationals; values reflect young workers/claimants close to 18. 'Unknown' age is a small residual.

Why people are coming

For each of the top arriving nationalities in Dacorum, this is the national mix of visa routes used in 2025. It shows whether arrivals from that country are typically students, workers, on family routes (including refugee family reunion), or in some other category. Local-authority breakdowns of visa routes are not published, so we apply the national mix at nationality level.

India 119 in Dacorum (20.2%)
Mostly students UK total 129,772 NINos · 159,236 non-visitor visas issued 2025
Pakistan 56 in Dacorum (9.5%)
Predominantly students UK total 56,201 NINos · 58,187 non-visitor visas issued 2025
Ghana 53 in Dacorum (9.0%)
Mixed routes, led by students UK total 9,227 NINos · 11,602 non-visitor visas issued 2025
Eritrea 50 in Dacorum (8.5%)
Mostly family-route arrivals (often refugee family reunion) UK total 9,289 NINos · 2,050 non-visitor visas issued 2025
Nigeria 36 in Dacorum (6.1%)
Mostly students UK total 45,877 NINos · 51,779 non-visitor visas issued 2025

Home Office, Immigration system statistics, year ending March 2026 (released 21 May 2026); Vis_D02 (Entry clearance visa outcomes by nationality, visa type, and outcome). Joined with DWP Stat-Xplore NINo registrations rolling year ending Q4 2025. Visa grants are issued at the point of entry-clearance application and are NOT the same population as NINo registrations. Visitor visas (2.24 million in 2025) do not lead to NINo and are excluded from the route-mix percentages so the Work / Study / Family / Other proportions are interpretable. Humanitarian routes (BN(O), Ukraine schemes, Resettlement, Asylum) are surfaced as national totals only because the same nationality split is not provided in this dataset. EU/EEA nationals largely fall outside entry-clearance for short stays, so their NINo flow is materially understated by visa data alone.

How Dacorum changed: 2011 to 2021

Two snapshots from two consecutive Censuses, ten years apart. Population changed from 144,847 in 2011 to 155,082 in 2021 (+7.1%). Non-UK-born residents went from 15,361 (10.6% of population) to 22,199 (14.3%).

Group 2011 2021 Change
UK-born 129,486 89.4% 132,883 85.7% +3,397
Ireland-born 1,447 1% 1,268 0.8% -179
EU pre-2001 (France, Germany, Italy, etc.) 1,968 1.4% 2,574 1.7% +606
EU 2001-2011 accession (Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, etc.) 1,699 1.2% 5,564 3.6% +3,865
Rest of World 10,247 7.1% 12,793 8.2% +2,546

Source: ONS Census 2011 KS204EW (NOMIS NM_611_1) and Census 2021 TS012 (NOMIS NM_2032_1), aligned to broad country-of-birth groups. 2011 data uses 2011 LA boundaries; 2021 data uses 2023 boundaries. LAs whose ONS code changed between Censuses (Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, North Yorkshire, Somerset reorganisations) are not in this comparison.

Schools, first language

Across 80 state-funded schools in Dacorum (28,826 pupils, 2024/25), 15.0% have a first language other than English. The published Hertfordshire-wide upper-tier figure is much lower because it averages every district in the county; this is the genuine Dacorum number.

Pupils with first language other than English3,718 (15.0%)
Pupils with first language English21,093 (84.9%)
Free school meals17.6%

Source: DfE Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics 2024/25, school-level data aggregated to district. EAL (English as Additional Language) is a household-level signal: children born in the UK to non-English-speaking households count as EAL.

Crime

Police-recorded crime rates per 1,000 population, Year ending March 2024. Dacorum ranks at the 30th percentile nationally for total crime rate.

Total crime / 1k62.7
Violent crime / 1k19.5
Theft / 1k27.3
ASB / 1k21.8
Drug offences / 1k1.6
Year-on-year +2.6%

ONS recorded crime by Community Safety Partnership area, year ending March 2024 (Home Office police recorded crime). LA-level rates are CSP rates inherited where multiple LAs share a CSP.. Police recorded crime is shaped by recording practice, reporting rates, and policing priority. Cross-area comparison must take account of those factors. Hate crime and quality-of-life detail are not in this file.

Adult social care

Adult social care for Dacorum residents is delivered by Hertfordshire County Council. Figures below are the county-wide ASC profile.

Council ASC spend, residential placements, and quality-of-life outcomes, 2023-24. Spend per head sits at the 0th percentile nationally.

NHS Digital ASCFR & SALT data tables 2023-24 (CASSR-level). Quality-of-life and DToC fields omitted (DToC discontinued post-COVID; ASCOF measures live in a separate publication).. ASC sits with upper-tier authorities only (counties, unitaries, London boroughs, mets); ~153 LAs in coverage and districts are not present. Spending is shaped by demographic composition, deprivation, and informal-care availability and direct cross-area comparison must control for those.

Health by ethnic group

Share reporting "not good health" in each of Dacorum's largest ethnic groups, Census 2021.

White 15.7%
White: English 16.3%
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller 8.1%

ONS Census 2021 (RM043 - General health by ethnic group by age) via NOMIS. All ages, no age-standardisation: younger ethnic-group populations will show lower rates partly because they're younger, not necessarily because they're healthier. Group labels shortened for display.

How NHS care for overseas residents is funded (national context)

Most non-UK residents in Dacorum pay for NHS care up-front through the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), which is added to most visa applications. Asylum seekers, refugees, ILR holders and Irish citizens are exempt. Visitors and undocumented residents are charged at 150% of the national NHS tariff. The figures below are England + Wales national totals; per-LA NHS cost-recovery is not centrally published.

Current IHS rate (adult, per year) £1,035
IHS rate, students/under-18s (per year) £776
IHS revenue 2024/25 (£m) £1,315.6m
Cumulative IHS revenue 2015–2024 £6.9bn
IHS rate history
  • From 2015-04-06: £200/year adult, £150/year students/under-18s
  • From 2019-01-08: £400/year adult, £300/year students/under-18s
  • From 2020-10-27: £624/year adult, £470/year students/under-18s
  • From 2024-02-06: £1035/year adult, £776/year students/under-18s
Indicative charges for visitors and undocumented residents

Maternity care is classified as "immediately necessary": it cannot be refused or delayed for charging, but it is invoiced afterwards at 150% of the NHS national tariff.

  • Routine vaginal delivery, no complications: £3,000–£5,500
  • Caesarean section: £5,000–£7,500
  • Premature birth with NICU stay: £15,000–£30,000+
  • Antenatal appointment: £150–£400 each

Sources: NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015 (as amended); Home Office IHS caseworker guidance (Sept 2025); House of Commons Library briefing CBP-7274; NHS England NHS Payment Scheme (national tariff). Approximately 80% of identified overseas-visitor debt across all NHS treatment is uncollected (NAO, follow-up scrutiny).

Economic profile

Avg employment rate59.8%
Avg home ownership58.6%
Avg social rent19.1%
Degree or above34.6%
No qualifications13.3%

Housing

Composition today

How dwellings in Dacorum are occupied. Single-person households and houses in multiple occupation are the two cleanest signals.

Single-person discount take-up32.6%
Dwellings on 25% single-person discount21,870
HMO dwellings (Census 2021)132
HMOs per 1,000 population0.85

Sources: MHCLG Council Taxbase 2024 (CTB1, snapshot 7 October 2024) for single-person discount; ONS Census 2021 RM192 for HMO dwellings. HMO Census numbers reflect dwellings classified as HMO on Census Day; current licensing registers held by individual councils are not centrally published.

Tenure by ethnic group

Household ownership rates for Dacorum's largest ethnic groups, Census 2021.

White: owned 65.5%
White: English: owned 66.7%
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller: owned 47.1%

ONS Census 2021 (RM134 - Tenure by ethnic group, Household Reference Persons) via NOMIS. Group labels shortened for display.

Tenure projection

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

Ownership (2021)58.6%
Social rent (2021)19.1%
Private rent (2021)13.7%
Ownership (2041)54.4%
Social rent (2041)17.2%
Social rent change-2pp

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

Westminster constituencies

Parliamentary constituencies overlapping Dacorum, sorted by share of LA postcodes the constituency covers.

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