(Corrects headline, first paragraph to show population is for England and Wales.)

The population of England and Wales rose to a record 56.1 million people in 2011, according to preliminary data from the census.

The population increased by 3.7 million, or 7.1 percent, in the 10 years since the previous census in 2001, the Office for National Statistics said on its website today. That’s the largest increase since the census began in 1801.

The percentage of the population aged 65 and over was the highest seen in any census, at 16.4 percent.

To contact the reporter on this story: Fergal O’Brien in London at fobrien@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Fergal O’Brien at fobrien@bloomberg.net