Our county

Page Contents

The Quality of Life survey
Health and wellbeing
Demand for council services

Group of parents and children looking at two people holding a large book

Cambridgeshire covers an area of over 3,397 square kilometres, with a resident population of 678,850. Our agriculture is a key factor in national food security, and our universities, and science and technology sectors are internationally renowned.

20% of Cambridgeshire residents are aged 0-17, 62% are aged 18-64 and 19% are aged 65 and over.

Between 2011 and 2021, our resident population grew by 9%.

Our rural districts have seen much higher growth in the 65 and over population (21-34%) and smaller or no growth in the under 65 population (0-5%).
The city of Cambridge is the second fastest growing local authority area in the East of England. Much higher population growth was seen in Cambridge (18%) than in our rural districts (5-9%).

By 2030, our resident population is forecast to grow by 6%.

The greatest population increases are forecast to be in number of the adults over 65 years (26%) and over 80 years (50%).

Cambridgeshire is home to 27% of England’s total peatland stock. Peatlands are amongst the most valuable ecosystems on Earth, owing to their role in preserving global biodiversity, providing safe drinking water, minimising flood risks and helping to address climate change.

Cambridgeshire has a key role to play nationally in food security, as 30% of the country’s Grade 1 agricultural land is located here.

Cambridgeshire’s carbon emissions as a whole county in 2023 were 6.45 million tonnes CO2e, with the highest emissions coming from transport (27%), land use, land use change and forestry (24%), and agriculture (17%).

Cambridgeshire’s economy is diverse and varied, including contributing significantly to the national agriculture, packaging, manufacturing and science and technology sectors.

The agricultural sector concentrated within the northern parts of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough provides 5% of England’s total agricultural workforce.

The Greater Cambridge area competes internationally in the science and technology sectors, with specialist clusters in life sciences, agriculture, advanced manufacturing, digital technologies and defence, as well as clean technologies.

In 2023-24, Cambridgeshire generated £34 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA), whilst the total turnover was £43 billion, including:

£9.6 billion life sciences and healthcare
£8.4 billion manufacturing
£6 billion wholesale and retail distribution

Since 2011, Connecting Cambridgeshire, in partnership with the county council, has enabled access to superfast broadband services to 38% more premises, totalling 98% of premises across the county in 2025.

5% of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s total economy is based in the agriculture sector, generating £1.4 billion GVA in 2023-24.

The Global Innovation Index 2024 ranked Cambridge as the world’s leading science and technological cluster by intensity for the third consecutive year.

The Centre for Cities Outlook for 2025 report placed Cambridge within the top 10 UK cities for the highest GVA per hour, within the top five UK cities for the highest average weekly workplace earnings, and within the top three for UK cities with the highest percentage of people with high level qualifications.

Cambridgeshire is home to a broad range of state funded education settings including:

over 200 primary schools
30 secondary schools
12 special schools
20 schools and colleges providing access to Further Education

The county is home to two internationally renowned universities - Cambridge University and Anglia Ruskin University (ARU).

Cambridgeshire education settings, including schools and colleges, demonstrate strong academic performance:

most primary school pupils meet the national standards
secondary school results are above average with nearly half (49.4%) of secondary school pupils in 2025 achieving Grade 5 or above in English and Maths GCSEs
post-16 results have an average grade of B- in A-levels and Merit in T-levels

Cambridgeshire students completing post-16 education in 2023 included 35% entering employment and 42% remaining in education.

The Quality of Life survey

In each of the three years from 2023-25, the council conducted an annual Quality of Life survey to better understand the experiences and perceptions of residents across Cambridgeshire. These revealed both positive experiences and concerns among residents.

Positive experiences

There was an increase in levels of happiness (up to 84% of residents reported high or very high levels of happiness).
Many residents (up to 85%) feel safe in their local community.
An average of three quarters of residents (75%) feel they belong to their local community.
More residents feel that Cambridgeshire is a good place to raise children (increasing to 79% by 2025).
There was increased satisfaction with several council services, including services for older or vulnerable people, libraries and communities.

Concerns

Over three quarters of residents were concerned about climate change – with similar numbers of residents open to changing their own behaviour – but also looking to local government to play a prominent role in tackling climate risks.
The cost of living has been a consistent concern of many residents (around 87%), with over half of residents taking action to cut back on expenses.
There was a growing concern about investments and jobs, reaching a height of 62% of residents.
Certain groups of residents – especially renters, unemployed people, disabled and older people – were more likely to have taken action due to the cost of living or need support to improve their quality of life.

More information about the Quality of Life survey

Health and wellbeing

In 2023-24, 68% of five year olds had a good level of development (GLD), but this lowered to 41% for five years olds on Free School Meals – the lowest level in the country for that year.
Although the Quality of Life surveys 2023-25 saw parents and carers increasingly report children eating healthy and being physically active (both measures increasing to 92%), 17% of Year 6 children were identified as obese in 2023-24 (from Public Health profiles data, Dept Health and Social Care 2024).
Fewer residents reported struggling with their mental health in the Quality of Life survey 2025, decreasing to 28%. However, younger people (18-25 years) were more likely to struggle with mental health and loneliness. As part of the Mental Health Needs Assessment (2022-2024), a survey of Year 8 and Year 10 pupils across Cambridgeshire in 2024 found that 8% of girls and 19% of boys reported having high wellbeing, and 9% of girls and 22% of boys reported high resilience.

Through the Quality of Life surveys 2023-25, residents reported a steady decline in unhealthy adult habits such as drinking more than 14 units of alcohol per week (from 17% to 10%), smoking (from 13% to 11%) and vaping (from 12% to 10%).
In 2023-24, the rate of falls leading to an emergency admission to hospital in over 65 year olds in Cambridgeshire remained at a similar level to the national average. However, the falls rate was significantly higher in Cambridgeshire for those over 80 years old – an age group that is forecast to have a larger population growth in coming years.

Table showing average life expectancies in Cambridgeshire (2021-2023)

District	Men	Women
Cambridge	80.2 years	84 years
East Cambridgeshire	82 years	84.2 years
Fenland	77.6 years	81.9 years
Huntingdonshire	81.1 years	84 years
South Cambridgeshire	82.5 years	86.4 years
Cambridgeshire average	81 years	84 years
England average	79 years	83 years

Demand for council services

Much of our resources go towards services helping residents who need additional support. The rising demand for these services puts pressure on our capacity and budget, but it is an essential part of what we do.

For example, between 2023 and 2025 we saw:

18% more children with Education, Health and Care Plans – part of a 70% increase over 2020-2025
over 1,000 more pupils with special educational needs in schools who receive ‘SEN Support’ rather than an EHCP – a 9% increase
around 100 more children in care between 0-17 years old – a 17% increase
around 17% more children with a recorded disability
over 360 more pupils in schools with caring responsibilities – a 29% increase
60% more carers supported during a year
around 700 more adults receiving long term social care in one year, either fully or partially funded by the county council – a 9% increase

In addition to helping those who need additional support, our work impacts the lives of everyone living, working, learning and travelling through Cambridgeshire every day.

For example, we repair around 60,000 potholes each year and are responsible for maintaining: