Key Data

  • The latest official estimate for the South West puts the population at 5,124,100 for mid-2006, making up 10% of England's population.
  • The South West is the largest region in England, with an area of 23,851 square kilometres. The population density of the South West (2005) is 212 people per square kilometre, lower than for any other region in England.
  • At 13.8% over the period 1985-2006, the South West has shown faster population growth than any other English region. This has been almost entirely due to migration, over half of which came from London and the South East in the year 2005-06.
  • The population is expected to grow by a further 16% between 2006 and 2029.
  • At 90, compared to a UK index of 100, no region has a lower standardized mortality rate than the South West.
  • The growth in household numbers is expected to outstrip population growth as the population ages and families get smaller, with an increase of 27% in the number of households expected between 2006 to 2029.
  • The proportion of the population describing themselves as ethnically white was estimated at 96.1% in 2005, compared to 89.1% for England as a whole.
  • The 2001 Census found 74% of the population describing themselves as Christian, above the 71.7% figure for England.