Our population



We serve a population of 800,888 people, with a mix of urban and rurally dispersed communities across two of the largest counties in England. There is a good road infrastructure across much of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, but the distance between our two main acute hospitals is more than 30 miles and typically takes more than an hour to drive on single carriageway roads. Train links between Hereford and Worcester are good with regular services but there are some public trainsport issues e.g. no direct bus or train line from Redditch to Worcester or Hereford, and many villages in the most rural areas not having access to a daily bus service.

The population mix of our footprint is 97% white, with 2% Polish and Eastern European, and 0.5% Asian and Afro-Caribbean.

With a large rural population we have migrant and casual labourers as well as an extensive Gypsy and Romany traveller community around Evesham and Hereford. Although there is a lower proportion of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) people than nationally, there has been a significant increase in the BME population between 2001 and 2011, which is likely to continue. The highest proportions of BME population are in the Redditch and Worcester districts.

Currently there are 1,200 people employed by the Armed Forces living in Herefordshire according to the 2011 Census, with an associated 1,450 family members (spouse, partner, child or step-child) living with them: a total of at least 2,650 members of the currently serving Armed Forces community. This number is likely to have grown considering the increase in the number of regular Armed Forces stationed in the county.

We have a relatively high and growing proportion of people aged 65 and over compared to England and Wales.








Population 2016 (000)




Population 2020 (000)




% Population under 18




% Population aged 65+




% People from a BME background





By 2026, the proportion of people aged 65 and over is projected to increase to 209,000 people aged 65 or over, representing more than one in four of the total population (25.9 per cent). This is broadly across all of Herefordshire and Worcestershire although the largely urban areas of Worcester and Redditch are predicted to have relatively more people of working age and fewer people of pensionable age.

People aged 75 and over are projected to rise to 112,000 by 2026, an increase of 45 per cent from a 2016 baseline.