Thurrock facts and statistics

Population

Thurrock has a population of around 176,000 residents which is increasing by over 10% every decade.

According to Census 2021, Thurrock is home to more people born outside of the UK than any other area in Essex. 78% of residents were born in England, compared with 87% in the previous Census. 77% of people in Thurrock identify their ethnic group within the "White" category.

The average age of a Thurrock resident is 36 years old, lower than the England average.

Overall deprivation in Thurrock is slightly lower than the national average, with a small percentage of areas amongst the 20% most deprived in England, contrasting with some other areas of the borough which are amongst the 20% least deprived. 

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published the latest Census information at Census 2021: results. You can create your own information profile of areas in England and Wales at Census 2021: build a custom area profile.

The NOMIS: local authority profile for Thurrock provides the latest available information on the labour market profile of Thurrock, including employment, income and benefits statistics.

Age and gender

The ONS released Census 2021 data in June 2022. It usually provides new population predictions once a year. For the previous mid-year estimate reports by single age group and by gender, go to ONS: Population estimates for UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The table below summarises UK population estimates by age and sex based on the census of 2021.

Population section Percentage, rounded
Male 49%
Female 51%
0 to 14 year-olds 21%
15 to 24 year-olds 11%
25 to 44 year-olds 30%
45 to 64 year-olds 24%
65 year-olds and older 14%

Ethnicity, religion and language

The ONS has published the latest Census 2021 information on ethnicities, religions and languages of Thurrock's population. The tables below provide a summary of this information. For full details, go to:

Ethnic profile summary Thurrock East region England
White British (including White English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish and British) 66.2% 78.49% 73.54%
All White 76.8% 86.48% 81.05%
All Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African 11.9% 2.92% 4.22%
All Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh 6.99% 6.41% 9.61%
All Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups 3.00% 2.84% 2.96%
All Other ethnic groups 1.5% 1.36% 2.18%
Religion and faith summary Thurrock East region England
Christian 51.7% 46.7% 46.2%
No religion 34.7% 40.2% 37.2%
Did not answer 5.2% 6.1% 6.0%
Muslim 4.9% 3.7% 6.5%
Hindu 1.4% 1.4% 1.8%
Sikh 1.4% 0.4% 0.9%
Main languages summary Thurrock East region England
English 88.69% 89.61% 87.9%
Romanian 2.9% 0.98% 0.82%
Polish 1.51% 1.06% 1.05%
Lithuanian 1.44% 0.48% 0.21%