Photo: Adrian Cable · CC BY-SA 2.0A lower share of residents aged 15 to 24 than 95% of UK towns, at 7.8%
In East Harling, 96% of residents describe themselves as White British, beside 73% across England’s towns. There were 1,085 households here at the 2021 Census, home to 2,490 residents. Across East Harling, 2.9% of households live in a flat or apartment. One in ten households have no car or van, a lower share than in 84% of UK towns.
What the Census says about East Harling’s people
Many older residents
29% of residents were 65 or over in 2021, more than in 89% of UK towns; 15% of households are someone 66 or over living alone. Ages ↓
Written from the data on this page: ONS Census 2021 (output areas summed to the 2022 built-up area).
29% of residents are 65 or over, a share 89% of UK towns don’t reach
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
The median age in East Harling is 49.4, higher than in 82% of UK towns. Against that, 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns. In Hunstanton, the oldest of Norfolk’s towns by this measure, it is 44%.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Only 2.9% of adults are full-time students in East Harling
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%.
In East Harling, 32% of adults work in managerial and professional jobs and 28% in routine and semi-routine work, against 33% and 24% across England’s towns. Across England’s towns, 7.9% of adults are full-time students. The census found that just over one in ten residents lived at another address a year earlier locally.
Below 76% of UK towns: 25% of households have dependent children
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
In East Harling the average household is 2.2 people, beside 2.4 across England’s towns. Typically, 29% of households have dependent children across England’s towns. For East Harling, the census puts one-person households at 27%.
A village of detached houses: 48% of households live in one
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
Against a figure of 24% across England’s towns, the share of households in terraced houses in East Harling comes in at 17%. The usual figure: 21% of households live in a detached house across England’s towns.
East Harling sits above 66% of UK towns for residents whose main language is English (98%)
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
Arrivals from 2017 on account for 13% of residents born abroad, beside 21% across England’s towns. Locally, 5.6% of residents were born outside the UK. The share of residents whose main language is English across England’s towns is 90%.
East Harling ranks above 71% of UK towns on residents with no religion: 44%
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: 96% of East Harling · Norfolk’s towns 88% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Leading the other groups after White British: Other White (3.3%), African (0.2%) and Mixed or multiple (0.2%). Set beside that, 37% of residents said they have no religion across England’s towns. Here 50% of residents describe themselves as Christian, where the figure across England’s towns is 46%.
A smaller share of adults who have never married than 89% of UK towns: 26%
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
8.7% of residents give unpaid care across England’s towns, against 9.9% in East Harling. The share of married adults and civil partners stands at 52%. Against that, nearly two in five adults have never married or formed a civil partnership across England’s towns.
25% of adults are qualified to degree level
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Degree-level qualifications are held by 25% of adults in East Harling (England’s towns: 34%), and no qualification by 21% (England’s towns: 18%).
2 of the 7 nearest towns are older than East Harling
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Harling | 2,490 | — | 49.4 | 29% | 25% |
| Attleborough | 11,236 | 6.3 mi | 43.2 | 23% | 26% |
| Besthorpe | 1,007 | 7.2 mi | 46 | 24% | 29% |
| Rickinghall and Botesdale | 1,842 | 7.3 mi | 52.6 | 31% | 21% |
| Roydon (South Norfolk) | 1,117 | 7.4 mi | 52.1 | 27% | 23% |
| Stanton | 2,316 | 8 mi | 44.3 | 22% | 28% |
| Thetford | 25,502 | 8 mi | 38.5 | 16% | 31% |
| Diss | 9,599 | 8.6 mi | 46.3 | 26% | 23% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- “Norfolk’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in Norfolk (or England), summed the same way as East Harling’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 East Harling’s residents
What is the population of East Harling?
The 2021 Census counted 2,490 people in East Harling’s built-up area.
What is the average age in East Harling?
The median age was 49.4 at the 2021 Census. 7.8% of residents were 15 to 24 and 29% were 65 or over.
How diverse is East Harling?
96% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 88% across Norfolk’s towns. 5.6% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in East Harling?
44% said they had no religion and 50% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 5.5% didn’t answer.
Is East Harling good for families?
25% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on East Harling’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.