Photo: Charlesdrakew · Public domainArdingly: 17% of residents are aged 15 to 24, above 98% of UK towns
The figure for one-person households is 27% in Ardingly and 30% across England’s towns. Households without a car or van account for 8.2%. 86% of residents describe themselves as White British, fewer than in 77% of UK towns. The village is home to 1,646 residents in 598 households, by the 2021 Census.
What the Census says about Ardingly’s people
A student village
The 2021 Census counted 155 full-time students aged 16 and over, 12% of adults, against 7.9% across England’s towns: more than in 97% of UK towns. That shows in the ages: 17% of residents are 15 to 24. Students & newcomers ↓
Written from the data on this page: ONS Census 2021 (output areas summed to the 2022 built-up area).
A median age of 42.1: Ardingly is younger than 68% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2021.
The largest age band is 15–19: 13% of residents, 2.3 times the share across England’s towns. On the census count, 21% of residents are 65 or over.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Full-time students make up 12% in Ardingly, more than in 97% 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%.
11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier across England’s towns, against 12% in Ardingly. The usual figure: 7.9% of adults are full-time students across England’s towns.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
2.4 people per household, more than in 70% of UK towns
Household make-up at the 2021 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against West Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
People per household
England’s towns.
The figure for shared households of unrelated adults is 2.5% in Ardingly and 4.3% across England’s towns. The census found that 28% of households have dependent children locally.
Households in flats make up 16% in Ardingly, more than in 72% of UK towns
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 in terraced houses is 24%; Ardingly has 16%. The usual figure: nearly a quarter of households live in a flat or apartment across England’s towns. For Ardingly, the census puts households in detached houses at 31%.
Ardingly ranks above 81% of UK towns on residents born outside the UK: 13%
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
The two biggest birthplaces abroad are in EU countries (5.1%) and in the Middle East and Asia (3.2%). Compared with other places, residents whose main language is English are scarce here: 96%, fewer than in 71% of UK towns. To put it in context, 18% of residents were born outside the UK across England’s towns. Just over two fifths of those born abroad arrived in 2017 or later, against 21% across England’s towns.
41% of residents said they have no religion, below 52% 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: 86% of Ardingly · West Sussex’s towns 84% · England’s towns 73%.
Religion · all residents
Muslims make up 1.1% of residents. Across England’s towns, residents with no religion come to 37%. On residents who describe themselves as Christian, Ardingly sits lower than 71% of UK towns: 46%.
Ardingly ranks below 89% of UK towns on unpaid carers: 7.7%
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
50% of adults are married or in a civil partnership, against 44% across England’s towns. Across Ardingly, 33% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership. On average, nearly one in ten residents give unpaid care across England’s towns.
Qualified to degree level: 38% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2021.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
At degree level, Ardingly counts 38% of its adults, against 34% across England’s towns; at the other end, 12% have no qualification (18%). For 19%, A levels are the highest qualification so far, many of them students still working towards a degree.
Ardingly sits below 5 of its 7 closest neighbours on median age
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ardingly | 1,646 | — | 42.1 | 21% | 28% |
| Balcombe | 1,445 | 2.2 mi | 46.4 | 23% | 32% |
| Horsted Keynes | 1,121 | 2.5 mi | 51.2 | 27% | 25% |
| Haywards Heath | 40,186 | 3.5 mi | 41.4 | 19% | 31% |
| Cuckfield | 3,767 | 3.6 mi | 45.4 | 22% | 33% |
| Crawley Down | 5,775 | 5.1 mi | 47.8 | 26% | 28% |
| Handcross | 1,399 | 5.3 mi | 41.6 | 17% | 31% |
| North Chailey | 1,008 | 5.4 mi | 45 | 18% | 32% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The Census was taken in a lockdown, in term time. 21 March 2021 fell in term time, and students were asked to give their term-time address, so most were counted where they study. Some may have been living with family that day.
- “West Sussex’s towns” and “England’s towns” mean their built-up areas. Census comparisons pool every built-up area in West Sussex (or England), summed the same way as Ardingly’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 Ardingly’s residents
What is the population of Ardingly?
The 2021 Census counted 1,646 people in Ardingly’s built-up area.
What is the average age in Ardingly?
The median age was 42.1 at the 2021 Census. 17% of residents were 15 to 24 and 21% were 65 or over.
Is Ardingly a student village?
Yes: 12% of adults were full-time students at the 2021 Census (155 people), against 7.9% across England’s towns.
How diverse is Ardingly?
86% of residents described themselves as White British in 2021, against 73% across England’s towns and 84% across West Sussex’s towns. 13% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Ardingly?
41% said they had no religion and 46% that they were Christian at the 2021 Census; 1.1% were Muslim and 9.2% didn’t answer.
Is Ardingly good for families?
28% of households had dependent children in 2021, against 29% across England’s towns. Schools are on Ardingly’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.