NEWLY-RELEASED from the 2021 Census have revealed that St Helens has increased in population by almost 8,000 people since 2011.

The change marks a 4.5 per cent increase in the borough's number of residents over the past decade.

The total population of England has grown by 6.6 per cent, increasing by nearly 3.5 million to 56,489,800.

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Phase one of the census data, which has been released today, shows that the St Helens population has increased from 175,308 people in 2011 to 183,200 people in 2021.

Of these, 16.7 per cent were under 15, 62.8 per cent were aged 15 to 64, and 20.5 per cent were aged 65-plus.

St Helens Star: St Helens saw a rise of 4.5 per cent in its population between 2011 and 2021St Helens saw a rise of 4.5 per cent in its population between 2011 and 2021

Meanwhile other nearby areas saw similar increases. Wigan saw a rise of 3.6 per cent, and Warrington 4.3 per cent.

The city of Liverpool saw a rise of 4.2 per cent, Knowsley 5.9 per cent, and Sefton saw smaller growth of two per cent.

The largest population increases in the North-West have been seen in Salford and Chorley, where the populations have grown by 15.4 per cent and 9.9 per cent.