Postcodes Plotting distribution by postcode The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has an introduction to postal geography, which it is advisable to read. Postcode Statististics (usual resident population) for England and Wales are available in the CD-Rom which accompanies Census 2001: Key statistics for postcode sectors in England and Wales, Office for National Statistics, London, TSO, 2004 – 0116217499. There are 124 postcode areas in the UK (120 for EWS, + BT (Belfast), JE (Jersey), GY (Guernsey) + IM (Isle of Man)). The usual resident population for a postcode area varies from 0.04% to over 3%. There is a published Atlas of Postcodes which defines boundaries, though the finer ones are subject to change. Also see an online map of Postcode Areas. example number mailboxes households covered All unit postcodes PO1 2ST 1.7 million 24 million 15-16 average Postcode sector PO1 2 9,100 2,000 Postcode districts PO1 2,900 20,000 Postcode area PO 125 200,000 above figures are not exact : check how many delivery points your own postcode covers The following represents a rough guide to the percentages of the Scotland/Wales/England population in each postcode area and the proportion that are aged under 18. Non-mainland postcodes not yet included are for Belfast, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. The figures should be taken as a rough guide.They were compiled prior to the publication of the ONS Census 2001 postcode area figures- but still appear to be in line. postcode postcode area % GB pop % aged 0-17 AB Aberdeen 0.8 AL St Albans 0.4 23 B Birmingham 3.0 25 BA Bath 0.7 22 BB Blackburn 0.8 26 BD Bradford 0.9 26 BH Bournemouth 0.9 19 BL Bolton 0.6 24 BN Brighton 1.4 15 BR Bromley 0.5 22 BS Bristol 1.6 22 CA Carlisle 0.5 21 CB Cambridge 0.7 21 CF Cardiff 1.7 24 CH Chester 1.1 23 CM Chelmsford 1.0 23 CO Colchester 0.7 21 CR Croydon 0.6 25 CT Canterbury 0.8 22 CV Coventry 1.3 23 CW Crewe 0.5 23 DA Dartford 0.7 24 DD Dundee 0.5 DE Derby 1.2 23 DG Dumfries 0.3 DH Durham 0.5 21 DL Darlington 0.6 22 DN Doncaster 1.2 24 DT Dorchester 0.4 21 DY Dudley 0.7 22 E London E 1.3 26 EC London EC 0.05 16 EH Edinburgh 1.4 EN Enfield 0.5 23 EX Exeter 0.9 20 FK Falkirk 0.4 – FY Blackpool 0.5 21 G Glasgow 2.1 GL Gloucester 1.0 22 GU Guildford 1.2 23 HA Harrow 0.7 23 HD Huddersfield 0.4 23 HG Harrogate 0.2 22 HP Hemel Hempstead 0.8 24 HR Hereford 0.3 22 HS Harris 0.05 HU Hull 0.7 23 HX Halifax 0.3 24 IG Ilford 0.5 25 IP Ipswich 1.0 22 IV Inverness 0.3 KA Kilmarnock 0.6 KT Kingston-upon-Thames 0.9 22 KW Kirkwall 0.1 KY Kirkcaldy 0.6 L Liverpool 1.5 24 LA Lancaster 0.6 21 LD Llandrindod Wells 0.1 22 LE Leicester 1.6 23 LL Llandudno 0.9 22 postcode postcode area % GB pop % aged 0-17 LN Lincoln 0.5 22 LS Leeds 1.3 22 LU Luton 0.5 26 M Manchester 1.8 23 ME Medway 0.9 24 MK Milton Keynes 0.8 25 ML Motherwell 0.6 N London N 1.3 23 NE Newcastle-upon-Tyne 2.0 22 NG Nottingham 1.9 22 NN Northampton 1.0 24 NP Newport 0.8 24 NR Norwich 1.2 21 NW London NW 0.9 21 OL Oldham 0.8 26 OX Oxford 1.0 22 PA Paisley 0.6 PE Peterborough 1.4 22 PH Perth 0.3 PL Plymouth 0.9 22 PO Portsmouth 1.4 21 PR Preston 0.9 22 RG Reading 1.3 23 RH Redhill 0.8 17 RM Romford 0.8 17 S Sheffield 2.3 22 SA Swansea 1.2 22 SE London SE 1.5 23 SG Stevenage 0.6 24 SK Stockport 1.0 23 SL Slough 0.6 23 SM Sutton 0.4 23 SN Swindon 0.7 23 SO Southampton 1.1 22 SP Salisbury 0.4 22 SR Sunderland 0.4 22 SS Southend-on-Sea 0.9 23 ST Stoke-on-Trent 1.1 22 SW London SW 1.5 18 SY Shrewsbury 0.6 22 TA Taunton 0.5 21 TD Galashiels 0.2 20 TF Telford 0.3 24 TN Tunbridge Wells 1.1 23 TQ Torquay 0.5 20 TR Truro 0.5 21 TS Cleveland 1.0 24 TW Twickenham 0.8 22 UB Southall 0.6 25 W London W 0.9 18 WA Warrington 1.0 23 WC London WC 0.07 15 WD Watford 0.4 23 WF Wakefield 0.8 24 WN Wigan 0.5 23 WR Worcester 0.5 22 WS Walsall 0.7 24 WV Wolverhampton 0.6 23 YO York 0.9 21 ZE Lerwick 0.04 Scotland The population of Scotland at the 2001 Census was 5,062,011. The population percentage of Scottish postcode areas of 5,062,011 was about:- postcode % SCT pop postcode % SCT pop AB 9.12 KA 7.23 DD 5.36 KW 0.99 DG 2.92 KY 6.86 EH 16.01 ML 7.23 FK 5.13 PA 6.38 G 23.01 PH 3.00 HS 0.52 TD 1.76 IV 4.05 ZE 0.43 Scottish Sector postcode populations : 2001 Census [link no longer available] Postcode Atlases Geoplan Postcode Atlas, Geoplan, 1997, ISBN 0952761815 (also on CD-Rom) Postcode Atlas of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Collins, Dec 2004, ISBN 0007191979