Mr. KINGasked the President of the Local Government Board whether he can state the estimated figures of the male and female population in 1911 for England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, respectively, at the ages of twenty-five and twenty-one years?
§ Mr. BURNSIt is not clear whether the figures desired are those of the estimated numbers of males and females who have reached the age of twenty-one years, but have not reached the age of twenty-two, and of those who have reached the age of twenty-five but have not reached the age of twenty-six, or of the total numbers who have reached the ages of twenty-one and 2821W twenty-five years respectively. Estimates of the numbers living at the single ages, twenty-one and twenty-five years, are shown for England and Wales as a whole in the first part of the following table; estimates of the numbers living at and above the ages of twenty-one years and at twenty-five years respectively are shown for England and for Wales separately in the lower part of the table. As the age constitution of the population at the recent Census is not yet known, it has been assumed that the age constitution of the population in 1901 still prevails. Previous to 1901 the age constitution of the population had been changing in the direction of greater mean age, and there is no evidence that this change has ceased. In view of this fact, and of the recent decline in the birth rate, it is quite possible that the results of the recent Census, when they become known, will differ materially from the estimates shown below. The table is confined to England and Wales. I am not in a position to give similar figures for Scotland and Ireland:—
ESTIMATED AGE AND SEX POPULATIONS AT CENSUS 1911. (Based upon Unrevised Sex Populations as enumerated in 1911 combined with age proportions as in 1901.) — Males. Females. England and Wales— Aged 21–22 years* 341,000 356,000 Aged 25–26 years* 318,000 343,000 England (including Monmouthshire)— Aged 21 and upwards 8,931,000 10,036,000 Aged 25 and upwards 7,708,000 8,652,000 Wales (excluding Monmouthshire)— Aged 21 and upwards 557,000 550,000 Aged 25 and upwards 482,000 475,000 * The figures at these ages cannot be given for England and Wales separately.