Information about our population by “protected characteristics” and other vulnerabilities.
What are protected characteristics?
The Equality Act 2010 protects people with certain attributes or characteristics. The protected characteristics are:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- pregnancy and maternity
- race
- religion or belief
- sex
- sexual orientation
Marriage and civil partnerships have some protection as well.
At North Yorkshire Council we also choose to consider the following additional characteristics when developing our services:
- people living in rural areas
- people with low socio-economic status
- unpaid carers
Composition of household types in North Yorkshire
- pensioner households - 25.6% (England average - 20.7%)
- married households - 37.7% (England average - 33.2%)
- cohabiting households - 9.2% (England average - 9.8%)
- one person households (aged under 65) - 14.8% (England average 17.9%)
- lone parent families with dependent children - 20.2% of all families with dependent children (England average 24.5 %)
(Census 2011)
Age
The Office of National Statistics mid-year estimate for 2020 shows that 16.7% of North Yorkshire’s population is aged 0-15 years, 58.4% is working age and 25.0% are aged 65+.
North Yorkshire has a lower proportion of young people than the national average – 24.8% under 25 compared to 29.7% nationally. (Office for National Statistics (ONS) Population Estimates mid-2020).
In 2020 1% of 16 – 17 year olds in North Yorkshire were identified as NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training). The percentage across the UK who were NEET from July to September 2021 was 2.8%. (Gov.UK NEET and participation: local authority figures 2021).
Nationally the unemployment rate for 16-24 year olds is high. The unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over in the UK was 4.2%, for the period August to October 2021. (ONS UK labour market statistics 2021)
In 2020 24.9% of the county's adult population was over the age of 65. This is considerably higher than the national percentage of 18.5%.1 Every year the population of older people increases, and with it the demand for the care and support which the council provides. By 2035, 32.60% of North Yorkshire’s total population will be aged 65+ and 5.97% will be aged 85+.
Nationally 23.26% will be 65+ and 4.05% will be 85+ by 2035.
Disability
North Yorkshire has a lower proportion of people with a disability or long-term limiting illness whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by 19.3%, against the national average of 23.69% (Poppi 2019). However, this will rise to 20.89% of the 65+ population in North Yorkshire, against a national average of 24.86%.
- The day-to-day activities of 17.5% of North Yorkshire residents are limited by disability or a long-term health problem (Census 2011).
- 9.2% of residents provide some unpaid care every day (Census 2011).
- Percentages of working age people receiving Personal Independence Payments are lower in North Yorkshire than in England as a whole – 5.4% North Yorkshire and 6.6% in England. (Department for Work and Pensions Oct 2021).
Gender reassignment
Someone who proposes to, starts to follow a process (transition), or has completed the process, to change his or her gender is protected under this characteristic. The person does not have to be under medical supervision to be protected. The Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES) suggests that across the UK:
- 1% of employees and service users may be experiencing some 3 degree of gender variance
- at some point, about 0.2% may undergo a transition (for instance, gender reassignment)
- around 0.025% have so far sought medical help and about 0.015% have probably undergone transition. In any year 0.003% may start the transition
Pregnancy and maternity
In 2017 there were 5441 live births in North Yorkshire. The conception rate per 1000 for 15 – 17 year olds was 12.9. This is below the rate for England (18.2). In 2017 4786 live births (88%) were to mothers born in the UK. 654 live births (12%) were to mothers born outside the UK.
Race
North Yorkshire has a much lower proportion (2.65%) of Black or Minority Ethnic (BME) citizens than the national average (14.57%) (2011 Census).
94.4% of our population is white British (2011 Census).
- 94.1% of our population were born in the UK (2011 Census)
- 97.3% of our population is white, 2.7% non-white (2011 Census)
- 1.3% of households have no members with English as a main language – England average 4.4% (Census 2011)
Religion or belief
North Yorkshire has higher levels of Christians (69%) than the national average (59%), and lower levels of all other religions than the national average. Percentages of those with no religion or not stating their religion are broadly similar to the national average (2011 census).
| Religion or belief | North Yorkshire | England average |
|---|---|---|
| Christian | 69.4% | 59.4% |
| None | 22.2% | 24.7% |
| Muslim | 0.4% | 5.0% |
| Buddhist | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Hindu | 0.2% | 1.5% |
| Jewish | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| Other | 0.3% | 0.4% |
(Census 2011)
The figures in the chart will not add up to 100% as they do not include figures for those who did not reply to the religion questions and who are recorded as ‘religion not stated’
Sex
At county level the proportion of females is slightly higher (50.7%) than that of males (49.3%) (ONS Mid-2020 population estimates). This pattern is reflected across all districts, with the exception of Richmondshire where the large number of predominantly male military personnel has the effect of reversing the proportions.
There were 13,648 lone parent households in North Yorkshire in 2011, of which 11,958 had a female lone parent (87.6%) (2011 Census)
Sexual orientation
The government estimates that 5 – 7% of the population is gay, lesbian, or bisexual. We have no evidence to suggest that this is not the case in North Yorkshire.
Marriage or civil partnership
The 2011 Census recorded that 264,479 or 53.5% of all people 16 and over in North Yorkshire were married. The 2011 Census recorded that 951 or 0.2% of North Yorkshire residents aged 16+ were in registered same-sex civil partnerships.
People living in rural areas
The population in North Yorkshire is generally sparser than the national average (0.76 people per hectare as opposed to 3.14 nationally). In some parts of the county this is lower still (Ryedale 0.36, Richmondshire 0.40). Distance travelled to access services is further than the national average. The Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) which covers the Dales ward in Ryedale is the most deprived in England for Geographical Barriers to Services. (Index of Multiple Deprivation, Indices of Deprivation 2015)
People with low socio-economic status
At local authority level, North Yorkshire is among the least deprived in England. Figures for long term unemployment in North Yorkshire (0.1%) are lower than the national average (0.4%) (ONS November 2017) However, North Yorkshire has a number of lower super output areas within the 20% most deprived in England (23 in 2015, rising from 18 in 2010) and three LSOAs in Scarborough town are within the most deprived 1% in England.
The percentage of the working age population who claim out of work benefits in North Yorkshire is 1.7%, compared to a Great Britain percentage of 2.9% (Nomis – ONS November 2019)
Unpaid carers
Carers’ allowance claimants make up 0.9% of North Yorkshire’s population. (ONS May 2017) This is lower than the average for England (1.3%) but there are variations across the county with the highest percentage being in Scarborough (1.4%). It is likely, however, that these figures do not reflect the true number of people carrying out caring roles in the county as many do not claim allowances.