Bolton in brief

Reviewed: 30/03/2023

  • Bolton’s population currently stands at 296,000 (census day 2021)
  • The borough has a higher proportion of older people (65 years plus) than Greater Manchester as a whole
  • Around half of Bolton’s residents are aged under 40
  • Bolton is a richly diverse, while the proportion of residents who would describe themselves as being from a ‘white’ ethnic background has dropped 10 percentage points between 2011 and 2021 to 72%, 91% of Bolton’s population identify with at least 1 UK national language and 96% speak English as their main language or are proficient in speaking English. The most common ethnic backgrounds of our non-White British residents are Asian Pakistani and Asian Indian (census 2021)
  • As with many local authorities in the north of England, the health of people in Bolton is generally worse over a range of measures than the average for England
  • Bolton is one of the 20% most deprived districts/unitary authorities in England (IMD 2019) and 37.5% (22,765) of children live in low income households (End Child Poverty children in low income households 2020/21)
  • Bolton has been hit by Covid-19 harder than most.
  • Life expectancy at birth varies across Bolton by 10.3 years for males and 8 years for females (2016-20). Life expectancy for Bolton as a whole for males is 77.3, 2 years younger than England; and for females 81.1, also 2 years younger than England (2018-20).
  • There are many other variations between different parts of Bolton. Neighbourhood working can make sure we take these into account.
  • Bolton also has many assets, making the most of these can help develop solutions to address communities' needs.
  • 32% of Bolton adults are classed as physically inactive (2020/21), doing less than the equivalent of half an hour's brisk walk a week. This is amongst the highest in England.
  • In Year 6 (age 10-11), 41% of children are classified as above a healthy weight (2021/22). This is significantly hgieher than seen in England as a whole and has worsened since Covid.
  • Levels of GCSE attainment (average attainment 8 score), breastfeeding and smoking in pregnancy are worse than the England average (Child and maternal health profile)
  • Bolton Council declared a Climate Emergency in 2019. This has a number of potential direct and impact impacts on population health, and the borough has now developed a strategy to address these.

Get the data

For more information and the most up to date figures, please see the following links and explore other areas of the website.