Understanding Oxfordshire
Detailed information on the trends and issues affecting Oxfordshire can be found our website www.oxfordshireobservatory.info.
Oxfordshire is a county alive with enterprise, learning and history. It has become internationally renowned as a place of architectural and natural beauty, a centre of excellence for higher education, research and innovation and a designated European Centre of Culture.
The county includes three areas of outstanding natural beauty: the Cotswolds, the Chilterns and the North Wessex Downs and is crossed by the River Thames and its tributaries. The internationally famous city of Oxford is at the hub of the county, surrounded by numerous historic towns and villages set in beautiful countryside. Oxfordshire is at the north-western edge of the South East region and, with its central location in England, has strong links to London and the Midlands, as well as west to the Cotswolds and along the M4 corridor.
Economic prosperity and the quality of the environment make Oxfordshire an attractive place in which to live and work. People in Oxfordshire in general live long and healthy lives. However there are pockets of relative deprivation where residents have lower wages and low skills, poor housing, young people do not fulfil their potential at school and where older people have poorer health than most.
Oxfordshire in context
- In mid-2006, an estimated 632,000 people lived in Oxfordshire.
- Oxfordshire is the most rural county in the South East region - over 50% of people in Oxfordshire live in settlements of less than 10,000 people.
- Our largest settlement is Oxford city with a population of 149,100, with 42,500 students attending either Oxford University or Oxford Brookes University (total students, Higher Education Statistics Agency - not students in residence).
- Around one-third of the population lives in our market towns.
Population growth
- The population of Oxfordshire has more than doubled since the 1940s.
- Between 2006 and 2026 Oxfordshire's total population is forecast to grow by over 12%, whilst the number of people aged 75 and over is projected to grow by 60% over the same period. This trend is similar to that expected nationally and is driven by increasing life expectancy and the current age profile of the county.
- In 2006 the proportion of people from non-white ethnic groups in Oxfordshire was 7.7%.
| Region | mid 2001 | mid 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Oxfordshire | 607,300 | 711,800 |
| Cherwell | 132,000 | 165,900 |
| Oxford | 135,500 | 171,100 |
| South Oxfordshire | 128,300 | 135,000 |
| Vale of White Horse | 115,800 | 127,700 |
| West Oxfordshire | 95,700 | 111,900 |
Oxfordshire's environment
- 78% of the land in Oxfordshire is under agricultural management and almost a quarter of the land is designated an area of outstanding natural beauty.
- The number of cars owned by people living in Oxfordshire increased from 175,000 to over 300,000 (+78%) between 1981 and 2001.
- Traffic on Oxfordshire's roads increased by 12.5% in the 10 year period to 2006.
- 10.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide per person were emitted in Oxfordshire in 2005: 26.5% of the emissions were from domestic sources i.e. our homes, 38.2% from industry and 35.3% from road transport.
