The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:
As Director-General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the population density was of each region of England in (a) 1980, (b) 1990, (c) 2000 and (d) 2010; and what the expected population density in each region is in (i) 2020, (ii) 2030 and (iii) 2050. (319986)
The attached table shows population density, calculated for each mid-year, as requested. Figures for 1980 to the year 2000 are derived using mid-year population estimates and the relevant land area. Figures for 2010 to 2030 are derived using 2006-based subnational population projections and assume land areas for the UK constituent countries remain constant into the future. Population density figures for 2050 are not available.
Persons per sq km 19801 19901 20001 20102 20202 20302 North East 309 301 297 301 312 322 North West 493 484 480 495 520 544 Yorkshire and The Humber 319 319 322 346 378 407 East Midlands 246 256 267 291 321 349 West Midlands 399 401 405 421 446 468 East 252 266 281 305 336 364 London 4,358 4,325 4,603 4,931 5,303 5,606 South East 378 398 419 445 479 512 South West 183 196 206 223 245 266 1 Population densities are derived using mid-year population estimates and the relevant land area. 2 Population densities are derived using 2006-based sub-national population projections, assuming constant land area for the UK constituent countries into the future. Source: Office for National Statistics.