Preston

North West · England
-32.6pp WBI 66.1% → 33.5% by 2051 (20-group HP, Census-direct, SNPP-constrained)
147,834 Population (2021 Census)
66.1% White British (2021)
44.2% White British (2041 projected)
33.5% White British (2051 projected)

Ethnic composition

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

white british 66.1%
white other 6.5%
asian 20.2%
black 2.4%
mixed 3.0%
other 1.9%

Projected 2051

white british 33.5%
white other 17.7%
asian 34.4%
black 6.4%
mixed 4.9%
other 3.0%

What's driving change?

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

-9.7pp Total WBI change
-6.4pp National effect
+0.3pp Structural effect
-3.7pp Local effect

Diversity index

diverse Shannon entropy: 0.58 · Dissimilarity: 12.3

Religion

Census 2021 religious composition with projections.

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

Muslim population projected: 30.4% by 2051

Country of birth

UK-born (2021) 80.7%
Foreign-born (2021) 19.3%
Foreign-born (2051 projected) 52.5%

English proficiency

mainLanguageEnglishPct 87.6%
notEnglishPct 24.8%
cannotSpeakEnglishPct 0.0%

Service demand pressure

50/100 Moderate Pressure Rank 87 of 320
Ethnic change20/20
Asylum13/20
School0/20
Language0/20
Housing17/20

Economic profile

Avg employment rate46.7%
Avg home ownership44.7%
Avg social rent14.6%
Degree or above24.6%
No qualifications15.1%

Housing demand projection

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

Ownership (2021)44.7%
Social rent (2021)14.6%
Private rent (2021)18.2%
Ownership (2041)33.7%
Social rent (2041)12.9%
Social rent change-1.7pp

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

English proficiency

mainLanguageEnglishPct 87.6%
notEnglishPct 24.8%
cannotSpeakEnglishPct 0.0%
Projected non-English growth+21.9pp

Interpreter demand is manageable at current levels.

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