Overview

• The UK Statistics Authority has advised ministers to commission a decennial census in England and Wales in 2031, reversing earlier plans to rely solely on administrative data.
• National Records of Scotland has recommended holding its next census in 2031 alongside the rest of the UK, and ministers have accepted the proposal in principle.
• A coalition of senior statisticians and 60 academics warned that an untested patchwork of alternative sources would risk a fragmented and inaccurate statistical landscape.
• The 2021 census recorded a 97% response rate and high digital participation, underlining its importance for planning schools, health services and transport links.
• The ONS is collaborating with National Records of Scotland and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency to synchronize methodologies and timing for the 2031 census across the UK.