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.
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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.
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