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FACTS AND FIGURES |
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In this section, I set out some basic facts and figures about England and its people. In reading these you should note that, unless otherwise stated, the figures refer only to England, and not Wales or Scotland. Fuller details and coverage of the United Kingdom can be found in the 2001 UK Census. Indeed, unless otherwise stated, all statistics quoted here apply to England in 2001. |
Let's begin with some basic facts and figures about England:
The total population is 49.1 million people.
This is an increase of 1.26 million from 1991.
Of these, 23.9 million are males, and 25.2 million are female.
The land area of England is about 130,000 square kilometres.
Life expectancy is 81 years for females, and 76 years for males.
And now for an interesting fact about the shape of England:
No part of England is more than 75 miles from the coast.
How about some facts about the people of England:
The number of unmarried adults is 11.9 million.
The number of married adults is 20.0 million.
The number of white people in England is 44.7 million.
The major ethnic minority group is Indian (1.0 million people).
Fertility rate is 1.7 children per woman.
Now for some religious facts and figures.
There are 35.3 million Christians in England.
There are 1.5 million Muslims in England.
There are 0.55 million Hindus in England.
There are 7.2 million people who claim no religion.
There are 3.8 million people who will not say what their religion is!
How about travel and tourism? (These figures apply to the UK and not just England)
About 60 million trips are made overseas each year by us Brits.
France and Spain are the most popular destinations.
About 3.6 million of those trips are to the USA.
About 25 million people visit the UK from overseas.
Of these, about 3.3 million visitors are from the USA.
OK, time to discuss drinking and smoking! Figures are for 2003/04.
About 26% of adults smoke cigarettes in the UK (45% in 1974).
On average, men smoke 15 cigarettes per day and women 13 per day.
About 75% of men and 60% of women drink on at least one day per week.
About 51% of men exceed drinking guidelines on at least one day each week.
There were about 6580 alcohol-related deaths in the UK in 2003.
Now for a look at the literacy and numeracy of the nation.
Less than 1% of the UK population is illiterate
About 3% of UK adults are illiterate or only semi-literate
About 16% of UK adults have rudimentary or worse reading skills
About 29% of UK adults are incapable of "simple" calculations
Over 10% of UK adults are incapable of following simple instructions
Next, a look at the sexual health of the nation.
The average at which women lose their virginity is 15
The contraceptive pill is used by 26% of British women.
The pill is used by 24% of 16 or 17-year olds.
The average number of partners for men, over a lifetime is 6.
For women, the average number of partners is 4.
The proportion of both men and women having a gay experience is 6%.
So what do the English particularly dislike? In a recent (2006) survey, the ten pet hates were:
Cold callers (on the phone)
Caravans
Queue jumpers
James Blunt (the singer)
Traffic wardens
Tailgaters
Brown nosers (i.e. ass lickers)
Chantelle and Preston (two "stars" from the Big Brother TV show)
Ex-smokers
Noisy neighbours
Next, here are ten things (2006 survey) that the English think defines England:
Fish and chips
The pint of beer
Monty Python
Robin Hood
The Archers ( a radio soap opera)
The oak tree
The bobby on the beat (i.e. the local policeman)
Oxbridge (the combined name for Oxford and Cambridge Universities)
The cup of tea
Morris dancing
Now, here are ten songs (2006 survey) that Brits are most embarrassed to admit that they like!
Livin' Thing - ELO
More Than A Feeling - Boston
Don't Stop Movin' - S Club 7
I'm Not In Love - 10CC
Rock 'n' Roll Part 2 - Gary Glitter
Cold As Ice - Foreigner
Rebel Yell - Billy Idol
Whatever You Want - Status Quo
Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
Here are ten common accidents in the home for us poor Brits:
67,000 injuries per year caused by food packaging
150 people stab themselves accidentally with a knife each year
43,000 accidents occur through run-ins with sofas
12,000 accidents per year happen when putting on socks, tights or stockings
40 accidents per year from tea cosies (woolly covers for teapots)