South Lakeland has one of the highest proportions of pensioners in England and Wales after the number of over-65s calling the area home rose in the last decade, new Census figures outline.

Figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there were 29,300 people aged 65 and over living in South Lakeland on census day last year – up from 25,121 in 2011, when the Census was last carried out.

The Census takes place every 10 years, with the latest snapshot captured on March, 21, 2021.

The proportion of over-65s living in the area rose from 24.2 per cent to 28 per cent over the decade – meaning South Lakeland now has one of the highest proportions in England and Wales.

The number of older residents has also risen by 62 per cent since the 1981 census, when there were 18,096.

This increase is reflected across England and Wales as a whole, where the population is ageing.

There were 11.1 million over-65s in 2021 – 18.6 per cent of the population – up from 9.2 million in 2011 (16.4 per cent) and 7.3 million (15.0 per cent) 40 years ago.

There were 27,800 people aged 29 and under living in South Lakeland on March 21 last year, who accounted for 26.6 per cent of the population – down from 29,274 (28.2 per cent) in 2011.

Read more: Latest census data has shown a rise in people living in South Lakeland

Of them, 8,300 under-10s called South Lakeland home.

Data from the 2021 census for England and Wales will be published in stages over the next two years, the ONS said.

Future releases will include figures on ethnicity, religion, the labour market, education and housing plus – for the first time – information on UK armed forces veterans, sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Census, which is used to understand how the UK's population changes over time, also shows the balance of men and women across the country.

In South Lakeland, 48.9 per cent of the population was male and 51 per cent was female last year – respectively, this compares to 48.7 per cent and 51.3 per cent 10 years ago.