People

Between 2022 and 2032 Norfolk’s population is projected to increase by roughly 8% and in 2032 Norfolk will be the 8th largest local authority in England, a position it also held in 2022. Over this ten-year period Norfolk’s total population is projected to increase by just over 70,000, with the number of residents aged 65 or over increasing by around 48,000. As a result, the proportion of Norfolk’s population aged aged 65 or over will rise from 25% in 2022 to 28% in 2032. In 2022 Norfolk had the 15th highest proportion of residents aged 65 or over of upper-tier local authorities in England, but by 2040 will have dropped to 16th position.^[1]

Combining data for 2021-23, across Norfolk the average life expectancy was approximately 80 years for men^[2] and around 84 years for women.^[3] Again, combining data for 2021-23, the average number of years Norfolk residents can expect to live in good health is about 62.5 for men^[4] and 62.9 for women.^[5]

Deprivation and poverty influence the health and wellbeing of the population. The life expectancy gap for 2021-23 between the most deprived areas of Norfolk and the least deprived areas is 7.5 years for men^[6] and 4.9 years for women.^[7]

1. www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/localauthoritiesinenglandtable2
2. fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/life%20expectancy#page/3/gid/1/pat/6/par/E12000006/ati/302/are/E10000020/iid/90366/age/1/sex/1/cid/4/page-options/car-do-0
3. fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/life%20expectancy#page/3/gid/1/pat/6/par/E12000006/ati/302/are/E10000020/iid/90366/age/1/sex/2/cid/4/page-options/car-do-0
4. fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/life%20expectancy#page/3/gid/1/pat/6/par/E12000006/ati/302/are/E10000020/iid/90362/age/1/sex/1/cid/4/page-options/car-do-0
5. fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/life%20expectancy#page/3/gid/1000049/pat/6/par/E12000006/ati/302/are/E10000020/iid/90362/age/1/sex/2/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/3/cid/4/tbm/1/page-options/car-do-0
6. fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/life%20expectancy#page/3/gid/1/pat/6/par/E12000006/ati/302/are/E10000020/iid/92901/age/1/sex/1/cid/4/page-options/car-do-0
7. fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/life%20expectancy#page/3/gid/1938133217/pat/6/par/E12000006/ati/302/are/E10000020/iid/92901/age/1/sex/2/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/3/cid/4/tbm/1/page-options/car-do-0

Between 2022 and 2032 Norfolk’s population is projected to increase by roughly 8% and in 2032 Norfolk will be the 8th largest local authority in England, a position it also held in 2022. Over this ten-year period Norfolk’s total population is projected to increase by just over 70,000, with the number of residents aged 65 or over increasing by around 48,000. As a result, the proportion of Norfolk’s population aged aged 65 or over will rise from 25% in 2022 to 28% in 2032. In 2022 Norfolk had the 15th highest proportion of residents aged 65 or over of upper-tier local authorities in England, but by 2040 will have dropped to 16th position.^[8]

Combining data for 2021-23, across Norfolk the average life expectancy is approximately 80 years for men^[9] and around 84 years for women.^[10] Again, combining data for 2021-23, the average number of years Norfolk residents can expect to live in good health is about 62.5 for men^[11] and 62.9 for women.^[12]

Deprivation and poverty influence the health and wellbeing of the population. The life expectancy gap for 2021-23 between the most deprived areas of Norfolk and the least deprived areas is 7.5 years for men^[13] and 4.9 years for women.^[14]

Along with deprivation other influences on life expectancy include socio-economic factors (income, education and housing), gender, the environment (air pollution, access to green space and where we live) as well as lifestyle behaviours (smoking, alcohol, nutrition, physical activity and stress).

At the time of the 2021 census, in Norfolk 94.7% of people identified as White, 2.1% identified as Asian or Asian British, 1.6% identified as mixed or multiple ethnicities, 0.9% identified as Black, Black British, Caribbean or African and 0.7% identified as another ethnic identity. As a comparison, across England as a whole 81% identified as White, 4% identified as Black, Black British, Caribbean or African, 10% identified as Asian or Asian British and 2% identified as other ethnic identities. In Norfolk, the district with the most diverse ethnic make up is Norwich, while the least is North Norfolk which is 98% White.^[15]

In England, there are health inequalities between minority ethnic groups and those identifying as White, as well as between different ethnic minority groups. The picture is complex, with it also varying across different health conditions.^[16]

Population projections estimate that in 2024 there were just over 9,000 international migrants coming to Norfolk, while around 4,000 individuals from Norfolk left to migrate internationally.^[17] In 2021 the census found that non-UK born population in Norfolk was 88,000 or around 9.7%, while for England as whole 17.4% of the population was non-UK born.^[18]

In 2024 migration from elsewhere within the UK to Norfolk was estimated to be around 41,500 people and the outflow from Norfolk to other parts of the UK was estimated to be just over 33,000 people.^[17]

The 2021 census showed that 89.3% of Norfolk people identified as straight or heterosexual, 1.4% identified as gay or lesbian, 1.4% identified as bisexual, 0.3% identified as another sexual orientation and 7.5% chose not to answer the question. The proportions for England as a whole were almost identical in 2021.^[19]

The evidence that LGBT+ people have disproportionately worse health outcomes and experiences of healthcare is both compelling and consistent. This is true for almost every measure.^[20] The 2017 National LGBT survey described a situation where LGBT+ communities face discrimination, felt their specific needs were not being met, had poorer experiences of healthcare and had major concerns about accessing healthcare that should be a right for all.^[21] NHS England is undertaking specific actions to improve the experiences of LGBT+ people.^[22]

The 2021 census showed that 47.0% of Norfolk people identified as Christian, 44.2% identified as having ‘no religion’, 0.9% identified as Muslim, 0.4% identified as Buddhist, 0.4% identified as Hindu, 0.1% identified as Jewish, 0.1% identified as Sikh, 0.6% identified as belonging to another religion and 6.4% chose not to answer the question.^[23]

Across England as a whole, 46.3% identified as Christian, 36.7% identified as having ‘no religion’, 6.7% identified as Muslim, 0.5% identified as Buddhist, 1.8% identified as Hindu, 0.5% identified as Jewish, 0.9% identified as Sikh, 0.6% identified as belonging to another religion and 6% chose not to answer the question.^[24]