Photo: Dr Neil Clifton · CC BY-SA 2.0Markbeech sits below 99% of UK towns for residents aged 15 to 24 (6.4%)
Across England’s towns, 23% of households live in a flat or apartment; in Markbeech, 2.6%. The 2021 Census put the village’s population at 281, in 115 households. The census found that a quarter of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership locally. One-person households are rarer here than in 88% of UK towns.
A median age of 49.1: Markbeech is older than 80% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
More residents are 50–54 than any other five-year age: 8.9% of residents, 1.3 times the share across England’s towns. Here, 26% of residents are 65 or over.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Residents who moved in within the year make up 7.9% in Markbeech, less than in 67% 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%.
Full-time students: 4.7% here and 7.9% across England’s towns. On average, 11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier across England’s towns.
A larger share of shared households of unrelated adults than 98% of UK towns: 7%
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Kent’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
Little separates the share of households with dependent children here, 29%, from the figure across England’s towns. The comparison figure for shared households of unrelated adults is 4.3% across England’s towns. Households here average 2.4 people each.
A lower share of households without a car or van than 97% of UK towns, at 6.1%
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
Across England’s towns, nearly a quarter of households live in a terraced house; in Markbeech, 18%. Here, 57% of households live in a detached house.
A larger share of residents whose main language is English than 84% of UK towns: 99%
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%
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
Among residents born abroad, the largest groups were born in the Americas, Oceania and elsewhere (2.9%) and in EU countries (2.1%). The comparison figure for residents whose main language is English is 90% across England’s towns. Higher than in nearly two thirds of UK towns: 8.2% of residents were born outside the UK.
In Markbeech, 60% of residents describe themselves as Christian, more than in 94% of UK towns
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: 92% of Markbeech · Kent’s towns 82% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Next after White British come Other White (5.3%), Mixed or multiple (1.4%) and Caribbean (0.4%). Compared with other places, residents with no religion are scarce here: 33%, fewer than in 86% of UK towns. Elsewhere, 46% of residents describe themselves as Christian across England’s towns. 92% of residents describe themselves as White British, against 82% across Kent’s towns and 73% across England’s towns.
A larger share of married adults and civil partners than 99% of UK towns: 61%
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
The number giving 50 or more hours of unpaid care a week is 9. On average, 44% of adults are married or in a civil partnership across England’s towns. One in ten residents give unpaid care, a higher share than in 59% of UK towns.
Qualified to degree level: 44% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
With 44% of its adults qualified to degree level, Markbeech compares with 34% across England’s towns; another 10% hold no qualification (18%).
The towns around Markbeech are all younger
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Markbeech | 281 | — | 49.1 | 26% | 29% |
| Edenbridge | 7,903 | 2.9 mi | 39.2 | 18% | 33% |
| Marlpit Hill | 1,271 | 3.6 mi | 47.6 | 25% | 30% |
| Dormansland | 2,300 | 4.5 mi | 47.4 | 22% | 27% |
| Leigh | 1,104 | 4.9 mi | 48.2 | 24% | 30% |
| Groombridge | 1,077 | 5.1 mi | 47.7 | 25% | 29% |
| Ashurst Wood | 1,508 | 5.5 mi | 45.8 | 24% | 27% |
| Lingfield | 3,622 | 5.6 mi | 43.7 | 22% | 31% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Kent’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Kent (or England), summed the same way as Markbeech’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 Markbeech’s residents
What is the population of Markbeech?
The 2021 Census counted 281 people in Markbeech’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Markbeech?
The median age was 49.1 at the 2021 Census. 6.4% of residents were 15 to 24 and 26% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Markbeech?
92% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 82% across Kent’s towns. 8.2% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Markbeech?
33% said they had no religion and 60% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 6.1% didn’t answer.
Is Markbeech good for families?
29% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Markbeech’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.