Demographics and communities
Population
Why is this important?
It is important to understand how Coventry’s population and demographics is changing so that local communities and organisations can ensure that the city has the right services to meet the needs of its people.
What is the local picture? How does it compare?
Coventry’s population is growing, changing and increasingly diverse, it is the seventh fastest growing local authority in the West Midlands region. Coventry has a population of 345,325 people; this is an increase of over 28,000 residents since 2011 and makes it the second-largest Local Authority in the West Midlands region. Coventry's population has increased by 8.9% over the past ten years, exceeding England's overall growth of 6.6% and the West Midlands region's growth of 6.2%.
It is difficult to predict how Coventry's population will grow in the future which makes planning services more difficult as a result. Before the Census 2021 data was released, the most reliable source to understand population growth was the Mid-year estimates (MYEs) by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). These statistics showed that the population had been growing at one of the fastest rates in the country. However, the census data reveals that although the population is still growing faster than average, it is not growing as fast as we previously thought. This could be due to several external influences, such as Brexit and the pandemic which will have influenced numerous factors, like international migration. It is unclear whether this will increase back to levels before these influences.
Coventry residents are, on average 5 years younger than England and the rest of the West Midlands region. Coventry’s young population is partly due to the city’s two universities, which continue to lower Coventry’s median age. The median age has increased by one year to 35 over the past decade, however it still falls below the England and West Midlands region median ages of 40.
In 2021, just over one-fifth (22%) of the city’s population are children and young people aged under 18, 65% are of working-age (18-64), and the remaining 13% are aged 65 and over. An estimated 68,300 children under the age of 16 live in Coventry, which makes up 19.5% of the population compared to 18.5% across England overall and 19.3% for West Midlands.
With an estimated 42,900 residents, 13% of the city's population is between the ages of 18 and 24, compared to 8% in England as a whole. The young population is partly due to the city’s two universities; Coventry also has a higher proportion of residents between the ages of 25 and 39.
The total number of births to mothers living in Coventry has been on a falling trend over the past 10 years. In 2021 the total number of births was 3,948, down from 4,801 in 2011. This is a major factor behind a 9% decrease in the number of children aged 0 to 4 over the last 10 years. This is line with a decrease nationally, however Coventry’s decrease was larger than average for the region. In contrast, the number of children aged 5-14 living in Coventry has increased notably over the last 10 years, rising from 36,200 in 2011 to an estimated 44,100. This is a 22% rise compared to a 12% increase for England as a whole.
Despite the relatively young average age of Coventry citizens, it is important to consider the growing older population and focus on preventative health amongst the working-age population now to help manage future demand on health and care services. Between 2011 and 2021, Coventry's 55-59 age group experienced the greatest growth of any age group, increasing by 27.5%. In a decade, Coventry’s population is likely to be older on average than today as the large increase in 55–59-year-olds seen in the past decade continues to grow older.
The 2018-based sub-national population projections indicate that population will begin to "age" during the next ten years, as the number of citizens 65 and older is likely to start to increase at a faster rate than the average growth rate for all ages. This means there is a need to focus on preventative health amongst the working-age population now to help manage future demand on health and care services. The north-west Coventry neighbourhoods of Allesley Green and Lower Eastern Green have the highest proportion of residents aged 65+ with 29.1%.
Whilst there is a natural growth in Coventry's population, with more births than deaths each year, migration now accounts for a larger portion of the city's expansion. The largest movements of people are from and to other parts of the UK, with students attending the two major universities in the city contributing to this. Coventry also welcomes many new residents from other parts of the world and international migration is a key factor in population growth. More people have moved to Coventry from overseas annually in the last 10 years (less so in the last 2 or 3) than moved from Coventry abroad.
The city’s growth has not been evenly distributed; therefore, local organisations may need to review the location of their services. A significant percentage of Coventry's growth was accounted for by its three fastest-growing MSOAs, which make up more than a quarter of the city's total growth. The fastest growing are Whitley & Toll Bar End, Henley Green & Wood End, and Central Coventry, with corresponding population growth rates of 45%, 36%, and 27% respectively. Of Coventry’s 42 MSOAs, 20 had growth higher than England’s average. 18 had growth higher than Coventry’s overall growth of 8.9% with six growing by more than double Coventry’s average.
Being home to two large universities, Coventry University and the University of Warwick, students form a growing part of the city’s population. While the increase in the number of students living in Coventry is by no means the whole story of Coventry’s population growth, the growth of the universities has certainly contributed. Over the last 10 years, between the academic years of 2010-11 and 2020-21, the total number of students enrolled at the city’s two universities increased from 56,100 to 67,255. Not all live in the city of course, census data gives an estimate of about 36,000 university students living in Coventry in 2021, a 29% increase from about 28,000 in 2011.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic some students may have chosen to live at home whilst they studied. Therefore, the total number of student residents in the city may be lower than it otherwise would have been. Census 2021 data estimates a total of 9,730 international university students living in Coventry.
What is happening in the city? What else can be done?
Grassroot organisations that support community cohesiveness could succeed more if they had more opportunities for developing their capabilities and exchanging knowledge. Peer support groups for our most vulnerable residents including those with protected groups and needs, such as those related to age, gender, culture, religion, sexual orientation, and health, are available in the city. These peer support groups are the foundation of many people's social networks and interactions, and for some people, they are their sole source of social engagement.
The council remains committed to engaging with communities, providing opportunities to collaborate and share ideas. The One Coventry Plan sets out the council’s ambition to ensure more residents of Coventry are fulfilling their ambitions, living healthier lives for longer and living in safer, connected, and sustainable communities. Coventry City Council’s ‘One Coventry Plan’ sets out a vision and priorities for the city, based on its commitments to the people of Coventry and the things that residents find most important. It is more focused on the needs and aspirations of communities. Building on key Council and partnership strategies, the One Coventry Plan sets out three interconnected priorities:
- Increasing the economic prosperity of the city and region
- Improving outcomes and tackling inequalities within our communities
- Tackling the causes and consequences of climate change
Although the city is cohesive, people do not feel they have the opportunity to get actively involved in improving their local area. The Household Survey 2022 found that just under four in ten residents (38%) agree there are opportunities to get actively involved in improving their local area, in line with 2021 findings. Residents aged 65+ are significantly more likely to agree with this statement compared to the survey average (47% vs. 38%).
At ward level, those in Binley and Willenhall (24%), Foleshill (24%), Longford (20%) and Upper Stoke (27%) are significantly less likely to agree that there are opportunities to get involved in local improvement. Furthermore, there is a sense of negativity or resignation, with 49% saying that even if given the opportunity, they would probably not get involved to make improvements to their local area.
There is some appetite for residents to become more actively involved in their communities. In the Household Survey 2022 residents were asked whether they would take a more active role in the community in the future when the opportunity arises, with 51% of respondents suggesting they would be likely to get involved in some way. Indicating a sizeable opportunity for community participation.
Diversity
Why is this important?
The growth of new communities can change the age and ethnic profile of the city, which can have an impact on demand for local services such as schools and GP surgeries and is influenced by many complex factors, such as living and working conditions, social inclusion, ethnicity, socioeconomic position, education, and cultural factors.
What is the local picture? How does it compare?
The city is becoming increasingly diverse with 45% of the population identifying as being part of an ethnic minority group compared to 26% in England as a whole. We use ‘ethnic minorities’ to refer to all ethnic groups except the White British group. Ethnic minorities include white minorities, such as Gypsy, Roma, and Irish Traveller groups, as well as those who identity as White Irish and ‘White Other’ (often people who have moved here from other European countries).
In the 2021 Census, 45% of Coventry’s population identified as an ethnic minority, an increase from 33% in 2011. In England it was 26% and in the West Midlands region it was 28%.
Of the ethnic minority population, Asian Indian formed the largest group making up 9% of Coventry’s total population compared to 3% in England and 5% in the West Midlands. Within Coventry, Foleshill West, Foleshill East, and Hillfields had the largest percentage of their population identifying as an ethnic minority with 80% or more doing so.
With a larger percentage of school children from an ethnic minority than all residents in Coventry as a whole, it is likely Coventry will continue to become more diverse.
According to the latest school census in 2022, 55.9% of Coventry’s school children are from an ethnic minority group up from 39.7% in 2012. The largest ethnic minorities in school children are Black African (11.4%), non-British white (10.2%), and Asian Indian (8.9%).
Some areas are more diverse than others, which should be a consideration when reviewing service provision. For example, in Brownshill Green 92.1% of residents were born in the UK, while in Coventry Central only 50.5% of residents were. Therefore, local organisations may need to review the services they provide to serve the residents’ needs in different areas.
As it becomes more diverse, the city remains cohesive, but Coventry Household Survey data indicates that overall feelings of belonging, and cohesion, may have reduced over the last few years. Most residents said that their neighbourhood is a place where people get on well together, 63% agreeing so in the 2022 survey. It is notable though, that this has reduced from 88% in 2018.
56% of adults said they felt a sense of belonging to Coventry, down from 83% in 2018; and 54% felt they belonged to their immediate neighbourhood, down from 77%. Those in Bablake (70%), Earlsdon (72%), Wainbody (65%), Woodlands (68%) and Wyken (67%) wards are significantly more likely to have a strong sense of belonging at neighbourhood level.
All residents were subsequently asked if the COVID-19 outbreak has changed their sense of belonging to their local community. Only a minority of 13% feel a stronger sense of belonging to their local community after Covid-19, a small difference compared to the previous year (15%). Three-quarters (75%) suggest that they feel the same sense of belonging to their community as before Covid-19. Therefore, there is minimal evidence of the pandemic having transformed community relations.
Coventry has a greater and increasing diversity of languages, which could act as a barrier when accessing and having an awareness of services available to residents. In 2021, 82.5% of Coventry’s residents had English as a main language, compared to 86.1% in 2011. In England 90.8% of residents have English as their main language and 91% in the West Midlands region. Within Coventry, Polish (2.3%), Panjabi (2.3%) and Romanian (2.1%) are the three most popular main languages spoken aside from English.
There are 16 languages that at least 1,000 Coventry residents speak as their main language and more than 100 languages and dialects spoken in the city in total. In Foleshill West just over a quarter of households have no people with English as their main language.
Whilst Coventry is becoming increasingly diverse with a wider range of languages spoken, the number of people who cannot speak English well has fallen in the last 10 years. This may be a positive sign for cohesion and integration. In the 2021 Census, people who did not report English as a main language were asked to report how well they could speak English. In Coventry, 16.9% could not speak English well and 2.6% could not speak English at all. This is an improvement from 2011 where 18.7% could not speak English well and 3.3% could not speak English at all.
Religion can also provide some insight into the diversity of Coventry, the number of people who are not religious has increased. 30% of residents are recorded in the Census 2021 as having ‘no religion’, an increase from 23% in 2011. Being religious is more prevalent in Coventry than the national average however, 37% of people across England have no religion. While Coventry has a lower proportion of Christian residents than the national average, 44% (England 46%) down from 54% in 2011; most other major religions are more commonly followed in Coventry. 10% of Coventry residents are Muslim, an increase from 7% in 2011; 5% are Sikh and 4% are Hindu.
The number of residents born outside of the UK has increased, highlighting the increasing diversity of the city. In 2021, 72.1% were born in the UK, 10.5% in Asia, and 10.1% in the EU. In Coventry, the top three non-UK countries where residents of Coventry were born are India with 4.5%, Poland with 2.6%, and Romania with 2.4%. In 2011, it was 4.2%, 2% and 0.3% showing that Coventry has become more diverse in the last 10 years, with the greatest increase being amongst people born in Romania.
Newly arrived communities are an important part of Coventry’s social fabric, economic development, and economic growth. This group includes students, people fleeing conflict and economic migrants. 14.2% of Coventry’s residents – approximately 49,100 people, around 1 in every 7 Coventry residents arrived in the UK since 2011. Central Coventry and Lower Stoke & Gosford Park have the largest concentration with 39% and 34% of residents arriving in the last ten years. Movement in and out of Coventry by international students will contribute to this population churn.
Coventry has a long history of providing safety to those fleeing conflict and persecution and has been recognised as a City of Sanctuary and International City of Peace and Reconciliation for many years. In the past 8 years, 778 people have been resettled in Coventry under the national Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS), Vulnerable Children Resettlement Scheme (VCRS), and more recent UK resettlement scheme (UKRS). As of March 2022, there were 1,368 asylum seekers receiving support in Coventry. This is the 4th most of any local authority in England with only Birmingham, Liverpool and Southwark supporting more. The true number of asylum seekers residing in Coventry is estimated to be 2,000 people – the highest proportion of asylum seekers per head of population in the West Midlands region. The number of Ukrainians living in Coventry under one of the UK support schemes is likely to vary as the Russian invasion progresses, but as of September 2022 was approximately 200.
Migration has been very high in the last year, nationally and to Coventry. International migration has contributed to the growth of the city over recent years, with a significant proportion of these not being asylum seekers and refugees or students. While there is uncertainty in measuring international migration due to challenges collecting accurate data, the number of foreign nationals living in Coventry and newly registering for a National Insurance Number (NINo) gives an indication of this and how the trends in movement have changed over recent years. After fluctuations and a significant dip due to the pandemic, 2022 saw 17,135 NINo registrations in Coventry, the highest number since records started in 2002. A series of unprecedented world events throughout 2022 and the lifting of restrictions following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to record levels of international immigration to the UK.
The main drivers of the increase were people coming to the UK from non-EU countries for work, study and for humanitarian purposes, including those arriving from Ukraine and Hong Kong. Registrations in Coventry increased from 5,523 in 2011 to a peak in 2016 at 9,177 but fell from 8,433 in 2019 to 4,191 in 2020 due to restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic; and bounced back to 8,140 in 2021.
The national profile of NINo registrants, whom we may call ‘economic migrants’, has changed a lot. While Coventry welcomes people from a wide range of countries, in the three years before the pandemic people from Romania and India made up 40% of registrations. The number moving from Poland was the 3rd highest, although this has been on a gradually falling trend since it was the highest in number 10 years ago; it is now outside the top 20.
At the peak of EU migration to Coventry in 2016 EU nationals made up 70% of NINo registrations, this fell to 54% in 2019, to 29% in 2020 and 12% in 2022. There was a significant increase in registrations amongst people from Asian countries, most notably India (reaching 7,221 in 2022), that drove the increase in total registrations in 2022; there is also a notable increase amongst people from Nigeria (2,138 in 2022).
The changing profile of economic migrants in recent years will need to be considered so that any specific health needs are provided for. Barriers to access should be delivered by a culturally competent health and social care workforce, one that makes use of the rich community assets in the city.
For the first time, the 2021 Census asked residents aged 16 and over about their gender identity and sexual orientation with two voluntary questions. As the questions were voluntary, varying response rates across different areas need to be considered when making comparisons.
In Coventry, 3.2% (8,761) identified as LGB+ (“Gay or Lesbian”, “Bisexual” or “Other sexual orientation”), 88.0% identified as straight or heterosexual, it is important to note that 8.8% did not answer the question and therefore assumptions cannot be made about their sexual orientation.
Gender identity refers to a person’s sense of their own gender, whether male, female, or another category such as non-binary; this may or may not be the same as their sex registered at birth.
In Coventry, 0.8% (2,182) indicated that their gender identity was different to their sex registered at birth. 91.6% of residents indicated that their gender identity was the same as their sex registered at birth. It is important to note that 7.6% did not answer the question and therefore assumptions cannot be made about their gender identity or how well the question was understood or defined.
The City of Culture Performance Measurement and Evaluation report sets out that over 700 events formed the programme, and these were hosted in all neighbourhoods across the city. It is estimated that these engaged 1 million people: 398,924 tickets were issued for events, an estimated 137,000 attended unticketed events and it is estimated that audiences for digital content were over 510,000 engagements. The report states, “77% of the programme, excluding commercial events was co-created with local residents and communities. Including the commercial programme, 64% of the whole programme was co-created.”
What is happening in the city? What else can be done?
Partners across Coventry must consider appropriate messaging to address local anxieties, stakeholder groups are essential in addressing issues in specific neighbourhoods. Coventry City Council has supported the coordination of place-based stakeholder meetings that welcome individuals and groups to represent their community and address local issues. Organisations can share local expertise, advertise their services, and investigate possible collaborations through these groups. There are currently 6 stakeholder groups across the city, these being: Canley, Foleshill, Hillfields, Radford, Spon End and Willenhall.
The public sector has a responsibility to change how it works with community groups across and between sectors. There is an appetite across local and voluntary organisations for more joined-up working to improve awareness and communication of the activities and networks available in the city. A key theme running through various engagement activities stresses the need to galvanise partnerships and facilitate a more integrated approach for the wider health system. This includes listening and responding to ideas and solutions from residents at a grassroots level. One of the objectives of the One Coventry Plan is to coordinate Coventry's response to how the city tackles challenges and opportunities by having a more consistent approach.
There are barriers around communication and awareness in the city, but there are also examples where working together has improved matters. The city has a wealth of voluntary and community groups responding to and addressing specific issues. There are lots of partnerships in the city that have been established organically to reflect and meet the needs of particular groups, these partnerships create opportunities to share ideas and resources between sectors. An example of this has been the Community Centre Consortium, 11 community centres from all over the city have joined forces to exchange knowledge, best practices, and funding requests. They can speak with one voice to outside funders, pool and organise resources and coordinate efforts by cooperating rather than competing with one another.
It is important for Coventry to deliver effective integration support to newly arrived communities to provide a solid foundation for newcomers to rebuild their lives, and subsequently become socially and economically independent. Whilst the overarching goal of One Coventry Together Strategy is to provide all newly arrived communities with the support needed to succeed from day one of arrival, Coventry has a duty of care for the thousands of refugees and asylum seekers who call the city home.