MORE and more people are living in Kirklees.

The population has gone up by more than 33,500 in the past decade.

Newly-released census figures show the area now has 422,500 people – compared to 389,000 recorded in 2001.

The population of Calderdale has also gone up – from 192,400 in 2001 to 203,800 in the Census.

The population of Yorkshire and the Humber on census day (March 27, 2011) was 5.3m, an increase of 6% from 4.9m in 2001.

The Office for National Statistics published the first results from the 2011 Census yesterday and they showed the population across the whole of England and Wales increased by 7% to 56.1m – the largest growth in population in any 10-year period since census taking began in 1801.

Jil Matheson, National Statistician said: “I’d like to thank everyone in Yorkshire and Humber for their support.

“The 2011 Census has been a resounding success and I am proud of the incredible effort that has been put in.

“It is a rich source of information about the population and its characteristics.

“Across England and Wales around 19 out of 20 people responded and we have excellent statistical methods for ensuring we have a complete estimate of the whole population.

“These statistics will provide valuable information for planners, policy-makers and the public for years to come.”

All local authorities in Yorkshire and the Humber grew in population.

The largest growth was in Bradford (11%) and the smallest growth was 1% in North East Lincolnshire.

Leeds was the largest local authority by population with 751,500 people, an increase of 35,900 between 2001 and 2011.

The local authority with the fewest people was Ryedale, with a figure of 51,700.

Scarborough has the largest proportion of oldest people while Bradford had the largest proportion of people aged 19 and under.

Across England and Wales there was an increase of 13% in the number of children under five-years-old with over 400,000 more in 2011 than in 2001.

In Yorkshire and the Humber there were 37,300 more children under five in 2011 compared to 2001, an increase of 13%.

Glen Watson, Census Director said: “The whole operation has worked well.

“We met our targets both for response and quality.

“We’ve had fantastic support from the public, and also from voluntary groups, community groups and local authorities throughout England and Wales.”