Who lives in the countryside?

The recession relationship

There are fears that the US and UK may both be heading for a recession. Has the US ever suffered a recession which did not spread to Britain? Since the Great Depression of the early 1930s there have been 16 identifiable periods in which the US met the usual definition of a recession (two consecutive quarters of negative growth), the most recent being in 2022. Britain has seen only ten such periods – even though its economy has grown by less overall. Periods when the US saw a recession but Britain did not include 1937-38, when the US economy shrank by 18 per cent over a year, 1945, 1949, 1953, 1958, 1969-70, 2001 and 2022. The UK suffered recessions not shared by the US in 1956 and 2023.

Pip pip

How many people claim Personal Independence Payments (Pips)? In January 2025, 3.7m people were claiming Pip.

– Since its introduction in 2013, 8.5m people have been assessed for the benefit. Of those, 4.1m were awarded the benefit, 3.9m were disallowed, 160,000 applications were withdrawn and 300,000 are still in progress.

– The most common disorders for which Pip are awarded (in many cases claimants were assessed as suffering more than one condition) are:

Neurological 51%

Psychiatric 42%

Respiratory 31%

Musculoskeletal (general) 26%

Musculoskeletal (one part of body) 20%

Other 41%

Source: Department for Work and Pensions

Town and country

Who lives in the countryside?

– In 2021, 9.5m were living in areas classified as ‘rural’ – 16.9% of the population, down from 17.6% in 2011.

– The average age was 45.1, compared with 39.4 for urban areas.

– 96.8% were white (81.7% in urban areas).

– 25.4% in rural areas were aged over 65 (17.1% in urban areas).

– The employment rate for 18- to 65-year-olds was 79.1% (73.9% for urban areas).

– If you look at people who work in the countryside median earnings were £25,600 (£27,200 in urban areas).