About Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is the fourth largest county in England, covering 5,921 square kilometres. The county is classified as one of the most rural in England by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Around 10% of Lincolnshire is below the mean high-water level. When looking at the highest astronomical tide level, this increases to 20%.
Lincolnshire's current population is estimated to be 769,474 people as of 2023.
The population of Lincolnshire is expected to grow by 10% by 2041. Most of Lincolnshire's population lives in rural areas, with around 70% living in villages or small towns. The largest town in Lincolnshire is Lincoln, which has a population of around 98,000 people.
Lincolnshire has a higher proportion of residents aged 65 and over than the national average. In 2021, the proportion of the population aged 65 years and over was recorded as 23.4%, with 30% expected to be over 65 by 2041. Nationally, the proportion of the population in the age group of 15 – 64 years is 64.1%. For Lincolnshire, this is lower at 61.0%. The remaining age group, those aged 14 and under, make up 17.4% of the population nationally. For Lincolnshire, this is again lower at 15.6%. The 2021 Census estimates Lincolnshire as having a 6.8% proportion of non British population, compared with a national proportion of 10%. However, the proportion of non-British nationals in Boston Borough (20.9%) is significantly higher.
70% of adults in the county are overweight or obese. National estimates of levels of morbid obesity suggest that there may be 11,500 adults with a BMI over 40 and nearly 800 with a BMI over 50 in Lincolnshire. The proportion of adults who smoke in Lincolnshire, is 14.0% as of 2023, according to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID). This is slightly higher than the UK average of 12.9%. There is a considerable difference between the districts, with 23.5% smoking in Lincoln and 8.3% in North Kesteven.
It was estimated that 11,688 people aged 65 and over were living with dementia in Lincolnshire in 2017. This accounted for 6.7% of all adults aged 65 and over. It is estimated that more than 15,000 individuals in Lincolnshire have a learning disability.