Cumbria - Demography

Demography

Barrow-in-Furness Kendal Whitehaven Workington Penrith Maryport Ulverston The largest settlements in Cumbria

Cumbria's largest settlement and only city is Carlisle, in the north of the county. The largest town, Barrow-in-Furness, in the south, is slightly smaller. The county's population is largely rural: it has the second lowest population density among English counties, and has only five towns with a population of over 20,000. Cumbria is also one of the country's most ethnically homogeneous counties, with 95.1% of the population categorised as White British (around 470,900 of the 495,000 Cumbrians). However, the larger towns have ethnic makeups that are closer to the national average. The 2001 census indicated that Christianity was the religion with the most adherents in the county.

2010 ONS estimates placed the number of foreign-born (non-United Kingdom) people living in Cumbria at around 14,000 and foreign nationals at 6,000. The 2001 UK Census showed the following most common countries of birth for Cumbrians that year:

England – 454,137 Scotland – 16,628 Wales – 3,471 Northern Ireland – 2,289 Germany – 1,438

Republic of Ireland – 1,359 South Africa – 603 Canada – 581 Australia – 531 United States – 493

India – 476 Hong Kong – 417 Italy – 249 New Zealand – 241 France – 197

Poland – 193 Cyprus – 174 Netherlands – 167 Spain – 166 Singapore – 160

Population totals for Cumbria
Year	Population		Year	Population		Year	Population
1801	173,017		1871	365,556		1941	456,833
1811	193,139		1881	410,856		1951	471,897
1821	225,555		1891	434,867		1961	473,706
1831	242,320		1901	437,364		1971	475,669
1841	255,603		1911	440,485		1981	471,693
1851	274,957		1921	441,483		1991	489,191
1861	320,257		1931	442,693		2001	487,607
Pre-1974 statistics were gathered from local government areas that now comprise Cumbria Source: Great Britain Historical GIS.