Census 2021 took place during the coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic. It is important to note that migration statistics from Census 2021 will have been impacted by the travel restrictions in place as a result of the pandemic.
Published data
View public origin-destination tables by theme:
Download all Census 2021 origin-destination tables (ZIP, 3.5 MB)
Supporting information
Our Census 2021 origin-destination user guide provides more information on how these tables were created and how to use them.
Types of origin-destination data
Three types of flow data have been released:
- migration: showing the movement of individuals from their address of usual residence one year before census day, to their address of usual residence on census day
- workplace, showing commuting patterns of employed individuals from address of usual residence on census day to their normal workplace
- student migration, showing movement of individuals who were living at student addresses one year before census day, 21 March 2021 to address of usual residence on census day
Other origin-destination datasets
Safeguarded datasets
Safeguarded datasets contain more detail than the public datasets. They include basic flows, univariate and multivariate flow datasets mostly at Super Data Zone (SDZ) level of geography. However, some datasets are at Local Government District (LGD) level where they contain more detailed characteristics of the population.
Details of where and how to access safeguarded datasets will follow.
Secure datasets
Our secure origin-destination data provide univariate and multivariate flow datasets mostly at Data Zone (DZ) level.
Details of where and how to access secure datasets will follow.
UK-wide origin-destination outputs
Northern Ireland, England and Wales held their censuses in March 2021, while Scotland held their census in March 2022. The difference in date means it has not been possible to combine the individual datasets to produce a set of UK origin-destination data.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released Census 2021 origin-destination data for England and Wales.
It is hoped that in the future origin-destination data for Northern Ireland can be incorporated with England and Wales data, provided that doing so does not put the confidentiality of respondents at risk.