The future of population and migration statistics in England and Wales
Applies to England and Wales
Detail of outcome
We
On are17 analysingJune your2025 the UK Statistics Authority (subsequently referred to as “the Authority”), on the advice of the National Statistician, made a recommendation to the UK government on the future of population and migration statistics in England and Wales. You can read the recommendation and Sir Robert Chote’s, Chair of the Authority, letters to the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Welsh government ministers, about the Recommendation on the Authority’s website.
To accompany the recommendation, we have published a Consultation Outcomes report which details the thematic analysis from the consultation and the evidence that provides the foundation of the recommendation. It contains analysis and findings of the responses and feedback
Visit that were received during the consultation.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is committed to ensuring that the principles of equality and diversity are at the heart of all of its decision making. To help achieve this pagegoal, againthe soonONS commissioned an interim equality impact assessment relating to downloadits proposals for the outcomefuture of population and migration statistics in England and Wales.
We have now published an updated report to thisaccompany publicthe feedback.
Authority’s Recommendation on the future of population and migration statistics, and you can read it on the ONS website: Recommendation on the future of population and migration statistics: equality impact assessment.
You can read more about The future of population and migration statistics in England and Wales on the ONS website.
Detail of feedback received
We have published a consultation update (PDF 150.6 kB pdf) which details the number of consultation responses by sector and outlines how we engaged with users of population and migration statistics both before and during the consultation. It also explains how we are carrying out our analysis of the responses.
Responses to the consultation will inform a recommendation to government from the UK Statistics Authority, on the advice of the National Statistician. This recommendation will detail how the Office for National Statistics (ONS) should produce statistics about population and migration in England and Wales in the future, based on user need. An analysis of the consultation responses will be published alongside the recommendation in 2024.
For more information on our research to date please visit our Research outputs using administrative data webpage.
Original consultation
Consultation description
High-quality, timely population statistics are essential to ensure people get the services and support they need within communities and nationwide. We are consulting to ensure that the population and migration statistics and analysis we produce continue to meet the changing needs of policy makers, citizens, and other data users. Our statistics should give you frequent, clear, timely and detailed insights into society. We also want to improve the coverage and accuracy of our statistics over time. To make sure that we meet your needs, we need your feedback on our proposals.
The consultation document explains the ONS’s proposals to create a sustainable system for producing essential, up-to-date statistics about the population. To do this, the system would primarily use administrative data such as tax or benefit data, complemented by survey data and a wider range of data sources. This could radically improve the statistics that the ONS produces each year and could replace the current reliance on the census every ten years. This consultation is seeking views on how these proposals meet the needs of users of ONS statistics compared to a system based on a census.
This consultation is also available in Welsh.
Documents
Updates to this page
Published 17 August 2023
Last updated 2117 DecemberJune 2023
+ show2025
href="#full-history">+ show all updates
-
On are17 analysingJune your2025 the UK Statistics Authority (subsequently referred to as “the Authority”), on the advice of the National Statistician, made a recommendation to the UK government on the future of population and migration statistics in England and Wales. You can read the recommendation and Sir Robert Chote’s, Chair of the Authority, letters to the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Welsh government ministers, about the Recommendation on the Authority’s website.
To accompany the recommendation, we have published a Consultation Outcomes report which details the thematic analysis from the consultation and the evidence that provides the foundation of the recommendation. It contains analysis and findings of the responses and feedback
Visit that were received during the consultation.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is committed to ensuring that the principles of equality and diversity are at the heart of all of its decision making. To help achieve this pagegoal, againthe soonONS commissioned an interim equality impact assessment relating to downloadits proposals for the outcomefuture of population and migration statistics in England and Wales.
We have now published an updated report to thisaccompany publicthe feedback.
Authority’s Recommendation on the future of population and migration statistics, and you can read it on the ONS website: Recommendation on the future of population and migration statistics: equality impact assessment.
You can read more about The future of population and migration statistics in England and Wales on the ONS website.
Detail of feedback received
We have published a consultation update (PDF 150.6 kB pdf) which details the number of consultation responses by sector and outlines how we engaged with users of population and migration statistics both before and during the consultation. It also explains how we are carrying out our analysis of the responses.
Responses to the consultation will inform a recommendation to government from the UK Statistics Authority, on the advice of the National Statistician. This recommendation will detail how the Office for National Statistics (ONS) should produce statistics about population and migration in England and Wales in the future, based on user need. An analysis of the consultation responses will be published alongside the recommendation in 2024.
For more information on our research to date please visit our Research outputs using administrative data webpage.
Original consultation
Consultation description
High-quality, timely population statistics are essential to ensure people get the services and support they need within communities and nationwide. We are consulting to ensure that the population and migration statistics and analysis we produce continue to meet the changing needs of policy makers, citizens, and other data users. Our statistics should give you frequent, clear, timely and detailed insights into society. We also want to improve the coverage and accuracy of our statistics over time. To make sure that we meet your needs, we need your feedback on our proposals.
The consultation document explains the ONS’s proposals to create a sustainable system for producing essential, up-to-date statistics about the population. To do this, the system would primarily use administrative data such as tax or benefit data, complemented by survey data and a wider range of data sources. This could radically improve the statistics that the ONS produces each year and could replace the current reliance on the census every ten years. This consultation is seeking views on how these proposals meet the needs of users of ONS statistics compared to a system based on a census.
This consultation is also available in Welsh.
Documents
Updates to this page
Published 17 August 2023
Last updated 2117 DecemberJune 2023
+ show2025
href="#full-history">+ show all updates
-
Original consultation
Consultation description
High-quality, timely population statistics are essential to ensure people get the services and support they need within communities and nationwide. We are consulting to ensure that the population and migration statistics and analysis we produce continue to meet the changing needs of policy makers, citizens, and other data users. Our statistics should give you frequent, clear, timely and detailed insights into society. We also want to improve the coverage and accuracy of our statistics over time. To make sure that we meet your needs, we need your feedback on our proposals.
The consultation document explains the ONS’s proposals to create a sustainable system for producing essential, up-to-date statistics about the population. To do this, the system would primarily use administrative data such as tax or benefit data, complemented by survey data and a wider range of data sources. This could radically improve the statistics that the ONS produces each year and could replace the current reliance on the census every ten years. This consultation is seeking views on how these proposals meet the needs of users of ONS statistics compared to a system based on a census.
This consultation is also available in Welsh.
Documents
Updates to this page
Published 17 August 2023
Last updated 2117 DecemberJune 2023
+ show2025
href="#full-history">+ show all updates
-
Consultation description
High-quality, timely population statistics are essential to ensure people get the services and support they need within communities and nationwide. We are consulting to ensure that the population and migration statistics and analysis we produce continue to meet the changing needs of policy makers, citizens, and other data users. Our statistics should give you frequent, clear, timely and detailed insights into society. We also want to improve the coverage and accuracy of our statistics over time. To make sure that we meet your needs, we need your feedback on our proposals.
The consultation document explains the ONS’s proposals to create a sustainable system for producing essential, up-to-date statistics about the population. To do this, the system would primarily use administrative data such as tax or benefit data, complemented by survey data and a wider range of data sources. This could radically improve the statistics that the ONS produces each year and could replace the current reliance on the census every ten years. This consultation is seeking views on how these proposals meet the needs of users of ONS statistics compared to a system based on a census.
This consultation is also available in Welsh.
Documents
Updates to this page
Published 17 August 2023
Last updated 2117 DecemberJune 2023
+ show2025
href="#full-history">+ show all updates
-