A unified dataset of UK census variables for small areas: Harmonised data tables from the 2021 England, Wales, and Northern Ireland censuses and the 2022 Scotland census

This paper describes a new dataset release containing harmonised census tables from the 2021 and 2022 UK Censuses. The release is the first unified dataset covering all four UK nations at the smallest available geographic level: Output Areas in England, Wales, and Scotland, and Data Zones in Northern Ireland. The UK’s three census agencies: ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland), and NISRA (Northern Ireland) release their data separately, each with distinct variables, formats, and disclosure controls. Through a process of matching, standardisation, and aggregation, 190 comparable variables are produced. The dataset is made available as a series of topic tables indexed across all 239,023 of the UK’s small-area geographies. By providing a standardised dataset, this work enables seamless UK-wide analyses, facilitating cross-national comparisons and supporting research and public policy development.