Statistics and intelligence

We want to make sure that the decisions we make about the services we deliver, the policies we develop and the actions we take are the right decisions for the City. We use a variety of information, including statistics, surveys, maps and results from consultations to inform our understanding and address equality issues across all areas of Newcastle. Information from the Council and our partners is brought together to form the Newcastle Future Needs Assessment (NFNA).

The Newcastle Future Needs Assessment - Local Profile

The Newcastle Future Needs Assessment (NFNA) Local Profile looks at information about Newcastle upon Tyne to understand what affects people living here at different stages in their lives to help meet our statutory requirement to have a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), and to inform our understanding of the people of Newcastle, the factors that shape their wellbeing and health, and the main illnesses and diseases that affect our residents. We first created this profile of our local area – ‘Know Your City’ – in 2016. This is an updated version, produced using the most recent data available as of 2021.

Newcastle Future Needs Assessment Local Profile

A snapshot of Newcastle's population in 2021

The Newcastle Future Needs Assessment (NFNA) Local Profile looks at information about Newcastle to understand what affects people living here at different stages in their lives. The population of Newcastle in 2019 was approximately 300,820. Looking at this in more detail:

• Over the next 20-plus years (2020 to 2043), we expect the largest change in age groups within Newcastle to be an increase in the later-life population (people aged 65 and over), from an estimated 43.227 people in 2018, to 55,623 in 2043. 

• The population is split almost 50/50 between men (51%) and women (49%). We do not currently have reliable statistics about people who describe their gender in another way, or about the local LGB and trans populations, but we will include this in the city profile when it is available.

• Around 19% of Newcastle’s population have a disability that limits their day-to-day life either a little or a lot, most of whom are in the older age groups.

• Around 11% of Newcastle’s total population are Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME), which rises to 24% among school-age children.

Children and young people

As of 2018, there were approximately:

• 16,630 early years children living in Newcastle (aged 0-4)

• 33,720 school year- aged children (aged 5-15)

• 60,100 ‘transition years’ young people (aged 15-29).

Working age adults and later life

As of 2018, there were approximately:

• 83,250 working age people (aged between 25-64 years) living in Newcastle.

• 63,920 people in later life (aged 65 and older).

Deprivation

Looking at deprivation in Newcastle, we find that:

• According to the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) Newcastle has become relatively more deprived between 2015 and 2019, moving from an overall rank of 42 to a rank of 32, where the local authority ranked ‘1’ is the most-deprived in England. The IMD is a measure of how deprived areas in England are when compared to each other, taking into account factors such as people’s income, employment, education, skills and training, health and disability, crime, barriers to accessing housing services, and the environment people live in.

• In Newcastle, 14,646 children (aged 0-16) were living in (relative) low income families in 2018-19, equivalent to 28% of all children in Newcastle.

• In 2020, the percentage of pupils in Newcastle who were both eligible and claiming a free school meal was 31.8%, compared to 17.3% nationally.

Employment

• In 2019 there were 8,190 businesses in the city. The overall annual business ‘birth’ figure for 2018 was 1,260, and the overall business ‘death’ figure was 1,135.

• In 2019 the employment rate in Newcastle was 70% of the working-age population, significantly higher than 65% in 2014, but nevertheless still lower than the national employment rate of 76%.

• The unemployment rate in Newcastle in 2019 was 5.4%.

Children and young people: Children in need, education, and health

Children in need

• Newcastle’s rate of children in need (per 10,000) was 547.9 (per 10,000 children) in March 2019. This is higher than the regional rate for the North East and also higher than the England rate.

• At 31 March 2019, the rate of children in Newcastle who are subject to a child protection plan was 101.1 per 10,000 (587 children).

• In 2019, there were 570 children in care (‘looked-after children’) in Newcastle.

Education

• The percentage of children aged five reaching a good level of development in Newcastle has fallen to 70.4% in 2019, compared to the 2018 figure of 70.9%.

• The proportion of pupils in Newcastle who achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics was 66.0% in 2019. This is higher than the national figure.

• Newcastle’s results for pupils achieving a ‘strong pass’ at GCSE level, with a grade of 5 and above in English and mathematics GCSEs, 38.7%.

• The proportion of students in Newcastle achieving grades AAB or better at A Level improved by 1.2 percentage points in 2019.

• In January 2019, there were 7,180 pupils in Newcastle schools with special education needs.

Health

• The proportion of Reception age children carrying excess weight in Newcastle is higher than both the national and regional figures, with 26.0% children overweight or obese in 2019/20 

• In 2019/2020, there were 710 admissions for unintentional or deliberate injuries in children aged 0 to 14 years in Newcastle.

• In 2019/2020, around 89% of children aged five have had their first and second doses of the MMR vaccine.

• An estimated 2.4% of primary school pupoiles have social, emotional and mental health needs in Newcastle; for secondary school pupils this figure is 1.9%.

• The proportion of teenage mothers (aged under 18) in Newcastle in 2018 was 0.8%, compared to 0.6% nationally and 1.2% regionally.

Adults’ health and wellbeing

Care and support

• There are 16,741 adults (aged over 18) in Newcastle predicted to have impaired mobility as of 2019.

• There are 5,779 adults (aged over 18) in Newcastle predicted to have a learning disability as of 2019, and 2,420 predicted to have an autistic spectrum disorder.

• In 2018-2019 Newcastle City Council adult social care received 9,968 new requests for social care support and provided long-term services to 5,019 adults (aged 18 and over).

• The 2011 Census showed that over 25,644 people in Newcastle of all ages were providing unpaid care to a family member or friend (we are awaiting more recent data).

• The number of people in Newcastle aged over 18 predicted to have a severe visual impairment in 2019 was 3,954. There were predicted to be 4,846 people aged 18 and over with a severe hearing impairment.

• An estimated 18.9% of the Newcastle population aged 16 and over have a common mental disorder (CMD) as of 2019.

Health conditions

• The rate of alcohol-related admissions in Newcastle has seen no significant change in recent years, remaining statistically worse than the England rate and statistically similar to the regional rate. The latest directly standardised rate for Newcastle in 2018/19 was 914 per 100,000 (2,379 admissions), and is higher in males than females.

• In 2018/19 there were 17,196 people in Newcastle recorded on GP practice registers as having diabetes.

• In 2019/20 there were 12,979 people across the Newcastle and Gateshead CCG diagnosed with COPD (chronic obstructed pulmonary disease), which is 2.4% of the local population.

• Around 13% of the adult population of Newcastle are smokers as of 2019. However, the number of people stopping smoking in Newcastle has increased between 2015 and 2020.

• The latest figures from 2018/2019 indicate that 67.2% adults (aged 19 and over) in England are physically active.

Life expectancy

• As of 2017-2019, average male life expectancy at birth in Newcastle is 77.9 years. This is less than the England average (79.8 years) by 1.9 years.

• Average female life expectancy in Newcastle is 81.9 years. This is less than the England average (83.4 years) by 1.5 years.

• As of 2016-2018, average male disability-free life expectancy at birth in Newcastle is 58.1 years. This is lower than the England average (62.9 years).

• As of 2016-2018, average female disability-free life expectancy at birth in Newcastle is 55.7 years. This is lower than the England average (61.9 years).

Environment: Air Quality and Climate Change

• We monitor air quality across the Newcastle so that we know and understand where problems with air quality are happening. The pollutant of most concern to us in Newcastle is nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), primarily caused by road traffic.

• More work is needed to understand the particular impact of projected climate change on Newcastle’s people, particularly those who are most vulnerable. However, some potential risks could include risks from overheating or flooding caused by extreme weather, and disruption to everyday activity through cracking or melting of roads. You can find out more about what action we are taking on climate change here: Newcastle City Council – Climate Change

Community Safety and Crime

• According to the Northumbria Police Safer Communities Survey the vast majority of people living in the Newcastle area feel safe in their local area; 95% said this in 2019-2020.

• In 2020/2021, total crime in Newcastle was 102 crimes per 1,000 population.

Feedback

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