Editing Dorset (section)

==Demography==
{{See also|List of settlements in Dorset by population}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Dorset demographics in the 2021 census
!|
! scope="col" | Dorset district<ref>{{cite web |title=Custom report - Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E06000059 |website=www.nomisweb.co.uk}}</ref>
! scope="col" | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole<ref>{{cite web |title=Custom report - Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E06000058 |website=www.nomisweb.co.uk}}</ref>
! scope="col" | England<ref>{{cite web |title=Custom report - Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/sources/census_2021/report?compare=E92000001 |website=www.nomisweb.co.uk}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | Population
|| 379,579	
|| 400,196	
|| 56,490,048	
|-
! scope="row" | Population density (per sq km)
|| 152.4
|| 2,469.2
|| 433.5
|-
! scope="row" | Female
|| 195,166	
|| 204,826	
|| 28,833,712	
|-
! scope="row" | Male
|| 184,413	
|| 195,370	
|| 27,656,336	
|-
! scope="row" colspan="5" | Ethnicity (% of total population)
|-
! scope="row" | White
|| 97.1
|| 91.3
|| 81.0
|-
! scope="row" | Mixed
|| 1.2
|| 2.8
|| 3.0
|-
! scope="row" | Asian
|| 1.1
|| 3.4
|| 9.6
|-
! scope="row" | Black
|| 0.3
|| 1.1
|| 4.2
|-
! scope="row" | Other
|| 0.4
|| 1.5
|| 2.2
|-
! scope="row" colspan="5" | Religion (% of total population)
|-
! scope="row" | Christian
|| 51.6
|| 46.8
|| 46.3
|-
! scope="row" | No religion
|| 40.1
|| 42.2
|| 36.7
|-
! scope="row" | Not answered
|| 6.5
|| 6.9
|| 6.0
|}

The [[2021 United Kingdom census]] records Dorset's population as 779,775, of which 51.3% live in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole district.

Dorset's population has a high proportion of older people and a lower than average proportion of young people: According to 2013 mid-year estimates,{{refn|2013 figures are mid year estimates produced by the ONS. Taking the 2011 census as a starting point, each year, the previous year's population is aged by one year, births and deaths are added and removed respectively whilst those leaving the county are subtracted and those moving in are added, each according to age and gender.|group=Note}} 23.6% are over 65 years of age, higher than the [[England and Wales]] average of 17.4%, and 18.6% are less than 17 years old, lower than the England and Wales average of 21.3%.<ref name="DFY Pop"/> The working age population (females and males between 16 and 64) is lower than England and Wales average, 60% compared to 64%.<!--(2013 MYE)--><ref>{{cite web |title=The Dorset Economy Key Facts |url=https://www.dorsetforyou.com/411252 |work=Dorset For You |publisher=[[Dorset County Council]] |access-date=8 February 2015 |year=2013 |archive-date=17 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217201705/https://www.dorsetforyou.com/411252 |url-status=live}}</ref> Data collected between 2010 and 2012 shows that average life expectancy at birth in the county is 85.3 years for females and 81.2 years for males. This compares favourably with the averages for England and Wales of 82.9 and 79.1 years respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health4/life-expec-at-birth-age-65/2006-08-to-2010-12/rft-table-1.xls |title=Life Expectancy at Birth 2006–2008 to 2010–2012; Counties in England (Males and Females) |year=2012 |website=ons.gov.uk |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20150108151735/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health4/life-expec-at-birth-age-65/2006-08-to-2010-12/rft-table-1.xls |archive-date=8 January 2015 |access-date=13 February 2015 }}</ref>

More than 33%<!--36.3 + 32.8 + 32.0 / 3 = 33.7--> of the county's population possess a level 4 qualification or above, such as a Higher National Diploma, Degree or a Higher Degree; while nearly 6.3%<!--5.9 + 6.2 + 6.7 / 3 = 6.27--> have no qualifications at all.<ref name=Labprof>{{cite web |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1941962902/report.aspx?c1=1946157347&c2=1946157353 |title=Dorset Labour Market Profile |year=2013 |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] |access-date=17 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926212230/https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1941962902/report.aspx?c1=1946157347&c2=1946157353 |archive-date=26 September 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Almost 43.7% <!--45.6 + 44.6 + 40.8 / 3-->are employed in a professional or technical capacity (Standard Occupational Classification 2010, groups 1–3), just over 10.3% <!--9.6 + 9.6 + 11.7 / 3-->are administrators or secretaries (group 4), around 12.8%<!--12.6 + 13.3 + 12.6 / 3--> have a skilled trade (group 5), over 18% <!--(9.7 + 9.5 + 9.4 + 7.0 + 9.9 + 8.7 / 3-->are employed at a low-level in the care, leisure, sales or customer relations sector (groups 6 and 7) and 14.8%<!--5.1 + 4.5 + 4.2 + 10.3 + 11.7 + 8.6 / 3--> are operatives or in elementary occupations (groups 8 and 9).<ref name=Labprof/>

{{Historical populations
| title = Historical population of Dorset non-metropolitan county
| align = center | cols = 4
| percentages = pagr
| 1801| 101,857
| 1811| 112,930
| 1821| 129,210
| 1831| 143,443
| 1841| 161,617
| 1851| 169,699
| 1861| 174,255
| 1871| 178,813
| 1881| 183,371
| 1891| 188,700
| 1901| 188,263
| 1911| 190,940
| 1921| 193,543
| 1931| 198,105
| 1941| 214,700
| 1951| 233,206
| 1961| 259,751
| 1971| 292,811
| 1981| 321,676
| 1991| 366,681
| 2001| 390,986
| 2011| 412,905
| footnote = Statistics for the area that comprised the 1997&ndash;2009 non-metropolitan county (i.e. Dorset ceremonial county minus the boroughs of Bournemouth and Poole)<br />''Source: [[Great Britain Historical GIS]].''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TOT_POP&u_id=10104210&c_id=10001043&add=N |title=Dorset Modern (post 1974) County: Total Population |work=A Vision of Britain through time |access-date=10 January 2010 |publisher=[[University of Portsmouth]] |archive-date=3 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103170539/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TOT_POP&u_id=10104210&c_id=10001043&add=N |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}