Photo: Ukexposed at English Wikipedia · Public domainYounger than 96% of UK towns: half of Knowle is under 35.2
The share of households in detached houses trails 89% of UK towns: 13%. Compared with other places, one-person households are common here: 35%, more than in 87% of UK towns. Knowle is home to 1,487 residents in 667 households, by the 2021 Census. Across Knowle, 6.4% of residents give unpaid care.
What the Census says about Knowle’s people
Younger than most towns
Half of Knowle’s residents are under 35.2 and half over, against 44.4 in the typical UK town. 10% are 15 to 24 and 6.7% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
More with no religion than most
54% of residents answered “no religion” in 2021 and 37% Christian, against 37% and 46% across England’s towns. Ethnicity & religion ↓
A village of flats
50% of households live in a flat or maisonette, more than in 99% of UK towns. 5.4% have no car or van. Homes & cars ↓
Written from the data on this page: ONS Census 2021 (output areas summed to the 2022 built-up area).
Residents aged 65 and over make up 6.7% in Knowle, less than in 99% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
Across England’s towns, the share of residents aged 15 to 24 is 12%; Knowle has 10%. Against that, 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About 105 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
13% of residents moved in within a year, more than in 94% of UK towns
What adults did at the 2021 Census (the ONS’s NS-SEC classes), and where residents lived a year earlier.
Adults by occupation class · residents 16 and over
Address a year before the Census
Residents who lived somewhere else a year earlier. The bar runs to 25%.
4.7% of adults are full-time students (England’s towns: 7.9%). On average, just over one in ten residents lived at another address a year earlier across England’s towns.
Smaller households than 85% of UK towns: 2.2 people on average
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Hampshire’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
Set against 29% across England’s towns, 28% of households have dependent children in Knowle. The census found that 1.8% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home locally.
Knowle sits above 99% of UK towns for households in flats (50%)
Accommodation type and cars or vans per household, Census 2021. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Cars or vans · share of households
By its share of households without a car or van (5.4%), Knowle is below 98% of UK towns. Locally, a quarter of households live in a terraced house. The wider picture: 23% of households live in a flat or apartment across England’s towns.
A higher share of residents born outside the UK than 71% of UK towns, at 9.2%
Country of birth, year of arrival and main language, Census 2021.
Born outside the UK, by region · share of all residents; the bar runs to 25%
When those born abroad arrived
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
Among residents born abroad, the largest groups were born in EU countries (3.7%) and in Africa (2%). 98% of residents have English as their main language, a lower share than in 51% of UK towns. Against that, 18% of residents were born outside the UK across England’s towns.
A larger share of residents with no religion than 97% of UK towns: 54%
How residents described themselves at the 2021 Census. Lines join the lowest and highest of the three figures.
Ethnic groups other than White British · all residents
White British, not charted: 90% of Knowle · Hampshire’s towns 84% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
The figure for residents who describe themselves as Christian is 37% in Knowle and 46% across England’s towns. Compared with other places, residents who describe themselves as White British are scarce here: 90%, fewer than in 63% of UK towns. After White British, the most common groups are Other White (4.6%), Mixed or multiple (3.2%) and Indian (0.6%).
Knowle ranks above 97% of UK towns on adults who have never married: 46%
Legal partnership status (residents 16 and over) and unpaid care (residents 5 and over), Census 2021.
Partnership status · residents 16 and over
Unpaid care given · share of residents 5 and over
37% of adults are married or in a civil partnership, against 44% across England’s towns. Against that, nearly two in five adults have never married or formed a civil partnership across England’s towns.
Degree-level qualifications: 41% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Across England’s towns, 34% of adults have a degree-level qualification; in Knowle, 41%, and 7.4% have none, against 18%.
Every nearby town is older than Knowle
Nearby built-up areas coloured by median age, Census 2021. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Homes with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knowle | 1,487 | — | 35.2 | 6.7% | 28% |
| Wickham | 2,170 | 1.5 mi | 48.6 | 29% | 23% |
| Fareham | 42,633 | 1.9 mi | 46.2 | 24% | 25% |
| Whiteley | 9,350 | 2.3 mi | 38.6 | 11% | 39% |
| Locks Heath | 35,744 | 3.2 mi | 45.8 | 22% | 28% |
| Waltham Chase | 2,830 | 3.7 mi | 43.7 | 20% | 30% |
| Swanmore | 3,113 | 4.3 mi | 45.8 | 22% | 33% |
| Botley | 5,900 | 4.4 mi | 36.9 | 17% | 35% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Hampshire’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Hampshire (or England), summed the same way as Knowle’s figures, so households in open countryside are left out.
- Small counts are blurred. The ONS adds small random changes to Census counts to protect privacy, so the same total differs a little between tables, and the shares of a small town can move by a point or two.
Questions about Knowle’s residents
What is the population of Knowle?
The 2021 Census counted 1,487 people in Knowle’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Knowle?
The median age was 35.2 at the 2021 Census. 10% of residents were 15 to 24 and 6.7% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Knowle?
90% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 84% across Hampshire’s towns. 9.2% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Knowle?
54% said they had no religion and 37% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0.3% were Muslim and 6.7% didn’t answer.
Is Knowle good for families?
28% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Knowle’s schools page.
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area (TS002, TS003, TS004, TS007A, TS008, TS015, TS017, TS019, TS021, TS029, TS030, TS039, TS044, TS045, TS062, TS067). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.