Photo: Lewis Collard · Public domainOnly 1.9% of households live in a flat or apartment in Watlington
With households in terraced houses at 11%, Watlington is behind 85% of UK towns on that count. The share of residents who describe themselves as White British stands at 95%. Residents aged 15 to 24 are more common here than in 86% of UK towns. The town is home to 2,593 residents in 1,120 households, by the 2021 Census.
Watlington’s population moved +6% on 2011, less than in 56% of UK towns
ONS mid-year estimates, each year indexed to mid-2011 = 100. Watlington’s figure is the small areas (2021 LSOAs) that make up the town.
People, mid-2011 = 100
Change by age, 2011 to 2024
About 2,500 people in 2011; 2,600 in 2024.
The steepest year was mid-2011 to mid-2012, up 70 people. Split by age, the 65 and over changed most (+22%) and the 30 to 44 least (−8%).
Watlington is younger than 59% of UK towns: a median age of 43.3
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
Where 18% of residents are 65 or over across England’s towns, Watlington has 20%. More residents are 55–59 than any other five-year age: 7.7% of residents.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Watlington, 43.3. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
A lower share of full-time students than 89% of UK towns, at 3.8%
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%.
The share of residents who moved in within the year trails 93% of UK towns: 6.4%. The wider picture: 7.9% of adults are full-time students across England’s towns.
In Watlington, 28% of households are one person living alone, fewer than in 65% of UK towns
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.
Shared households of unrelated adults make up 2.1%, against 4.3% across England’s towns. One-person households make up 30% across England’s towns. Households average 2.3 people.
Watlington ranks above 88% of UK towns on households in detached houses: 48%
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, the share of households without a car or van is 24%; Watlington has 9.1%. On average, just over a fifth of households live in a detached house across England’s towns.
Only 4.4% of Watlington’s residents were born outside the UK
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
Across England’s towns, just over a fifth of those born abroad arrived in 2017 or later; here, 9.5%. Higher than in just over three quarters of UK towns: 99% of residents have English as their main language. For residents born outside the UK, the comparison across England’s towns is 18%. By birthplace, the largest groups from abroad were born in EU countries (2.4%) and in Africa (0.7%).
Watlington ranks above 63% of UK towns on residents with no religion: 43%
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: 95% of Watlington · Norfolk’s towns 88% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
After White British, the most common groups are Other White (2.6%), Mixed or multiple (1.4%) and Chinese (0.3%). Measured more widely, 37% of residents said they have no religion across England’s towns. At 51%, the share of residents who describe themselves as Christian is higher than in just over three fifths of UK towns.
Above 59% of UK towns: 34% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership
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
78 residents care, unpaid, for at least 50 hours a week. On unpaid carers, Watlington sits higher than nearly two thirds of UK towns: 9.9%. Measured more widely, 39% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership across England’s towns. Married people and civil partners make up 48% of adults, against 44% across England’s towns.
Among adults, 24% hold a degree-level qualification
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Across England’s towns, 18% of adults have no qualification; in Watlington, 18%, while 24% hold one at degree level (34%).
Among 514 UK towns of 2,500 to 4,000 people, the 118th youngest
Median age, Census 2021. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
At the ends of the range sit Keele (20.6), the youngest, and West Chiltington (63.1), the oldest. Nearest to Watlington in age: St Columb Major (43.2), Newhey (43.3), Wheatley Hill (43.4) and Desford (43.4).
Median age: 5 of the 7 towns around Watlington are older
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watlington | 2,593 | — | 43.3 | 20% | 28% |
| West Winch | 2,828 | 3.1 mi | 50.6 | 28% | 26% |
| Downham Market | 11,349 | 4.9 mi | 48.2 | 30% | 22% |
| Tilney St Lawrence | 1,504 | 5 mi | 46.7 | 26% | 24% |
| Marshland St James | 1,025 | 5.8 mi | 49.6 | 27% | 24% |
| Clenchwarton | 2,020 | 6 mi | 53.5 | 32% | 22% |
| King's Lynn | 47,604 | 6.1 mi | 39.3 | 18% | 30% |
| Marham | 2,608 | 6.3 mi | 30.1 | 9.8% | 39% |
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 Watlington’s figures, so households in open countryside are left out. The population trend compares with the whole county and nation.
- Estimates since 2021 are modelled. The ONS builds mid-year estimates from the Census, births, deaths and migration records. Watlington’s trend uses the small areas (2021 LSOAs) with most of their people inside it: 2,593 people in 2021, against 2,593 in the built-up area.
- 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 Watlington’s residents
What is the population of Watlington?
The 2021 Census counted 2,593 people in Watlington’s built-up area. The ONS estimates the same small areas held 2,600 people in mid-2024, 6% more than in 2011.
What is the average age in Watlington?
The median age was 43.3 at the 2021 Census, younger than 59% of UK towns. 11% of residents were 15 to 24 and 20% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Watlington?
95% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 88% across Norfolk’s towns. 4.4% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Watlington?
43% said they had no religion and 51% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 0% were Muslim and 4.4% didn’t answer.
Is Watlington good for families?
28% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Watlington’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) · ONS mid-year population estimates for 2021 LSOAs, mid-2011 to mid-2024. 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.