Portsmouth demography

This page will provide you with key information on the demography of Portsmouth including:

• Population
• Ethnicity
• Births and deaths
• Future population of Portsmouth
• Detailed reports for each ward

If you’d like to see our full demography report, you can request it via email at jsna@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

The data in the summary can be explored more fully in the JSNA 2022 Demography Data Report.

What’s the population of Portsmouth?

The 2021 Census estimate of the population of Portsmouth is 208,100.

In 2020 (ONS mid-2020 estimate):

• 140,400 people aged 18-64 years were estimated to be
  a resident in Portsmouth.
• Around 30,600 of Portsmouth residents were aged 65 years and over.
• 4,300 residents were aged 85 years and over.
• Compared to the rest of England, Portsmouth has a high proportion of young people aged 20-24 years old, largely due to the city’s University and colleges (11.3% of Portsmouth’s total population compared with 6.1% nationally).

Chart: ONS mid-2020 resident population estimate by gender and 5-year age bands, Portsmouth City compared to England

The 2011 Census found:

• 16% (32,800 people) of Portsmouth’s total population were from Black and minority ethnic (BME) communities. In comparison, 20% of England’s total population were BME.
• Of the localities in Portsmouth (North, Central and South), the South is the most ethnically diverse with 22% of the population belonging to BME groups, compared to 16% of the Portsmouth population.

Children and young people

In January 2021,

• 25% of Portsmouth pupils of all ages were of a non-White British ethnicity.
• The South locality is the most ethnically diverse with 33% of all pupils of non-White British ethnicity.
• 29% and 15% of pupils living in the Central and North localities are of non-White British ethnicity.

Births in Portsmouth

There were 2,254 live births for Portsmouth residents in 2020. The number of births has been decreasingly annually since 2012 (2,782 births in 2012) and the number of births (in 2020) is a 3% decrease from the 2019 number of births (2,316 births).

Portsmouth deaths

There were 1,754 Portsmouth resident deaths registered in 2020. The number of deaths in Portsmouth has been similar since 2013. In 2020, there was an increase in Portsmouth male resident deaths and a decrease in Portsmouth female resident deaths. The leading cause of death for Portsmouth residents in 2020 for people of all ages was Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (213 deaths; 12% of all deaths).

Children and young persons

Between 2021 and 2043 the population aged 0-4 years is likely to remain relatively stable with an increase of 9%, which is roughly 1,000 infants.

The 5-11 years age group is projected to reduce by 2030, roughly by 2,100 fewer children compared to 2021, before increasing again by 2043 with an additional 600 children compared to 2030. The 12-17 years age group is predicted to remain relatively stable with a decrease of 8% by 2043, which is around 1,100 children.

The 18-24 years age group is expected to increase by 16% by 2030, which is around 5,100 more young persons compared to 2021, before going down again by 2043 which is almost 3,100 fewer compared to 2030.

Working age population

Between 2021 and 2030, the Portsmouth working age adult population aged 18-64 years is expected to go up by 1%, which is nearly 1,300 people; this increase is due to the younger age group, as there is an estimated decrease of 14% in the 50–59-year-old age group. By 2043, the working age adult population is expected to reduce back to a similar number seen in 2021.

Population aged 65 and over

Between 2021 and 2030, the population of Portsmouth aged 65+ years is expected to increase by 19% (projected population of 37,200 in 2030) and those aged 80+ years by 28% (projected population of 11,000 in 2030). In 2043, 19% (around 42,100 people) of Portsmouth’s population are expected to be aged 65 years and over, compared to 14% (around 32,000 people aged 65 and over) of Portsmouth’s population in 2020.

If you don’t know what ward you live in, type in your postcode to into the MapIt website and look at what “Unitary Authority Ward” (UTW) your postcode falls under.

There are two reports for each ward.

The first report (titled LOCAL HEALTH: REPORT PART 1) shows information about:

• Ethnicity & language
• Deprivation
• Housing and living environment
• Employment
• Long-term health conditions and morbidity
• Children’s weight (NCMP)
• Children’s health care activity
• Child and maternal health
• Behavioural risk factors

The second report (titled LOCAL HEALTH: REPORT PART 2) shows information about:

• Hospital admissions – harm and injury
• Cancer incidence
• Life expectancy
• Morality and causes of death – premature mortality
• Morality and causes of death

If you’d like to see your ward reports, please look through the following list and select your ward.

• Baffins
• Central Southsea
• Charles Dickens
• Copnor
• Cosham
• Drayton and Farlington
• Eastney and Craneswater
• Fratton
• Hilsea
• Milton
• Nelson
• Paulsgrove
• St Jude
• St Thomas

When viewing your ward report, use the left-hand side menu to change which report you are viewing.