In the 2001 Census survey, the population of Wokingham Borough was 150,229. In 2009, the Office of National Statics estimated the population at around 161,900, an increase of 15% over the last twenty years.
The 2001 Census found that Wokingham had a higher than average proportion of people aged 35-54 and slightly more school age children. There was less than the average number of people aged 65 to 79. 16.6% of the population were over 60. Arborfield ward has the highest percentage of residents aged 17 and under (30%) and Remenham, Wargrave and Ruscombe has the highest percentage of residents aged 65 and over (18.6%). The mean age of the wards is highest in Remenham, Wargrave & Ruscombe (42.6 years) and lowest in Barkham (31.5 years) and Hawkedon (31.6 years).
Wokingham’s population is not as diverse ethnically as Berkshire as a whole or England. Since the 1991 census however, the Borough’s Black and Minority Ethnic population has almost doubled, from 3.3% to 6.1% in 2001. The largest minority Ethnic group is Indian with a population of 2937 (2%). Bulmershe and Whitegates ward has the highest percentage of non-white ethnicity residents (17.5%) followed by Hawkedon (11.3%) and Hillside (11%). Twyford has the lowest at (2.3%), followed by Remenham, Wargrave and Ruscombe (2.4%) and Swallowfield (2.4%).
In the 2001 census, 16426 (10.9%) of the population said that they had a limiting long term illness. 16.2% of these are residents of the Bulmershe and Whitegates ward.
12287 (8.2%) of the population provided unpaid care. 10.3% of these residents live in Bulmershe and Whitegates and 10.1% live in Sonning.
