Demography
Further information: Demography of Greater Manchester| UK Census 2001 | Oldham | Oldham (Met. District) | England |
| Total population | 103,544 | 217,273 | 49,138,831 |
| Foreign born | 15% | 8.2% | 9.2% |
| White British | 71% | 86% | 92% |
| Asian | 27% | 12% | 4.6% |
| Black | 0.9% | 0.6% | 2.3% |
| Christian | 58% | 73% | 72% |
| Muslim | 25% | 11% | 3.1% |
| Hindu | 1.1% | 0.1% | 1.1% |
| No religion | 8.3% | 8.9% | 15% |
| Over 65 years old | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| Unemployed | 5.5% | 3.7% | 3.3% |
According to data from the United Kingdom Census 2001, Oldham had a total resident population of 103,544, making it the 55th most populous settlement in England, and the 5th most populous settlement of the Greater Manchester Urban Area. This figure in conjunction with its area provides Oldham with a population density of 3,998 people per square mile (1,544 per km²). The local population has been described as broadly "working class"; the middle classes tending to live in outlying settlements.
Oldham, considered as a combination of the 2001 electoral wards of Alexandra, Coldhurst, Hollinwood, St. James, St. Marys, St. Pauls, Waterhead and Werneth, has an average age of 33.5, and compared against the average demography of the United Kingdom, has a high level of people of South Asian heritage, particularly those with roots in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Due to the town's prevalence as an industrial centre and thus a hub for employment, Oldham attracted migrant workers throughout its history, including those from wider-England, Scotland, Ireland and Poland.
During the 1950s and 1960s, in an attempt to fill the shortfall of workers and revitalise local industries, citizens of the wider Commonwealth of Nations were encouraged to migrate to Oldham and other British towns. Many came from the Caribbean and Indian subcontinent and settled throughout the Oldham borough.
Today, Oldham has large communities with heritage from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and parts of the Caribbean. At the time of the 2001 census, over one in four of its residents identified themselves as from a South Asian or British Asian ethnic group. Cultural divisions along ethnic backgrounds are strong within the town, with poor cross-community integration and cohesion along Asian and white backgrounds.
With only a small local population during medieval times, as a result of the introduction of industry, mass migration of village workers into Oldham occurred, resulting in a population change from under 2,000 in 1714 to 12,000 in 1801 to 137,000 in 1901. In 1851 its population of 52,820 made Oldham the 12th most populous town in England. The following is a table outlining the population change of the town since 1801, which demonstrates a trend of rapid population growth in the 19th century and, after peaking at 147,483 people in 1911, a trend of general decline in population size during the 20th century.
| Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1939 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 12,024 | 16,690 | 21,662 | 32,381 | 42,595 | 52,820 | 72,333 | 82,629 | 111,349 | 131,463 | 137,246 | 147,483 | 144,983 | 140,314 | 120,511 | 121,266 | 115,346 | 105,922 | 107,830 | 103,931 | 103,544 |
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