Stats on South West released

10:51am Friday 9th May 2008

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The South West has the highest percentage of people of pension age and over of any region of the UK (22 per cent), according to the latest issue of Regional Trends, released today by the Office for National Statistics.

At 34 per cent, the South West also has the joint highest proportion of households receiving retirement pensions in 2005/06 along with Wales, compared with a UK figure of 30 per cent.

However, employment in the South West was also high, with 78 per cent of people of working age in employment in the second quarter of 2007, one of the highest figures for any UK region, compared with the UK average of 74 per cent.

The total recorded crime rate in the South West was 8,600 per 100,000 population in 2005/06. This compares with a UK rate of 10,300.

In 2006, the South West had a population of 5.1 million according to the mid-year population estimates. The resident population increased by 181,000 (3.7 per cent) between 2001 and 2006. Over the 25 years between 1981 and 2006 the population increased by 17 per cent. The largest percentage increase was in North Dorset, with an increase of 36 per cent during this period.

The South West was also the most popular UK visitor destination for UK residents in 2005 with 21 million trips and £3.6 billion spent.

Regional Trends is an annual report which paints a statistical picture of areas within the UK, to assist in understanding the complex relationships between locations and the people who live there. The information gathered aids decision-making at local, national and European level.

Other key statistics for the South West in Regional Trends include:

• Households in the South West spent the least on clothing and footwear per week from 2003/04 to 2005/06 of any UK region - £21 compared with a UK average of £23.

• Between 1993 and 2006 traffic on major roads in the South West increased by 31 per cent, the largest increase in Great Britain.

• More people walked to work in the South West in 2006 than in any other region - 12 per cent compared with the UK average of 11 per cent.