E63013748 /South East evidence profile
South East evidence profile
Portsmouth digital planning profile
Portsmouth is a major, coastal built-up area in South East. ONS records show a 2021 population of 223,324; the population grew steadily between 2001 and 2021, while the 2015 to 2024 employment series shows modest employment growth. This profile turns those public observations into a reviewable website-planning brief without claiming that the figures measure searches, leads or Mosalio's physical presence.
01 / Data snapshot
What the reviewed source records
- BUA24 code
- E63013748
- ITL1 region
- South East
- Coastal
- Coastal
- Income-deprivation flag
- Higher deprivation
02 / Context
Three comparisons, with the benchmark stated
in line with the 11.2% median across complete England records in this ONS file.
1.9% above the 0% dataset median.
13.5% below the 224.1% dataset median.
These medians use every complete England record accepted from the same ONS file. They are descriptive context, not targets, forecasts or a national demand model.
03 / Distinctive pattern
Where this record sits within 936 complete England profiles
Highest decile · percentile position 97.8 of 100.
Highest decile · percentile position 92 of 100.
Lower quartile · percentile position 14.4 of 100.
These are the three values furthest from the middle percentile position for this record. A higher position means a higher published value, not a better outcome or evidence of search demand.
Evidence fingerprint: sha256:4cff4c75aa5…adcffae89894
04 / Constrained peers
Three named comparisons from the same reviewed source
Each peer is selected from all 936complete England records using the documented eight-metric distance. Deltas are Portsmouth minus the named peer; a plus sign means the value recorded for Portsmouth is higher.
Regional peer
Southampton · E63013524
South East. Nearest complete record in South East. ONS classification: Nearer - Higher deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- -26,309 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- -3.4 pp
- Economic inactivity
- +0.4 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- +3.6 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£13,420
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- +35.4 pp
- Population aged under 25
- -1.4 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- +1.9 pp
Classification peer
Norwich · E63009624
East of England. Nearest complete record outside South East with the same ONS combined classification. ONS classification: Nearer - Higher deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- +22,832 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- -4.1 pp
- Economic inactivity
- -2.5 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- +1 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£10,920
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- -18.3 pp
- Population aged under 25
- +1.8 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- -2.2 pp
National peer
Wolverhampton · E63009805
West Midlands. Nearest remaining complete England record. ONS classification: Nearer - Higher deprivation - Working.
- 2021 population
- -10,319 people
- Population change, 2001 to 2021
- +1.8 pp
- Economic inactivity
- -2.5 pp
- Employment change, 2015 to 2024
- -11.6 pp
- 2023 median house price
- +£60,920
- House-price growth, 2001 to 2023
- -25.5 pp
- Population aged under 25
- +1.5 pp
- Population aged 65 or over
- -1.1 pp
05 / Evidence synthesis
Portsmouth evidence synthesis: 2021 population, Population aged under 25, Population aged 65 or over
Portsmouth is recorded as a major, coastal, working built-up area, nearer to a major town or city. This classification sets a transparent frame for the three observations below; it is not a persona, a service-area promise or proof of local search demand. Each finding pairs one distinctive percentile measure with one independently selected peer and one explicit validation route.
Eight-metric evidence matrix
The matrix shows every measure used by the peer-distance method, not only the three most distinctive values. Direction describes the published value relative to the middle percentile position; it is not a positive or negative judgement.
Highest-to-lowest percentile order: 2021 population → Population aged under 25 → Employment change, 2015 to 2024 → 2023 median house price → Population change, 2001 to 2021 → Economic inactivity → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023 → Population aged 65 or over.
Furthest-to-nearest distance from the middle percentile: 2021 population → Population aged under 25 → Population aged 65 or over → House-price growth, 2001 to 2023 → Economic inactivity → Employment change, 2015 to 2024 → 2023 median house price → Population change, 2001 to 2021.
Regional peer
2021 population: 223,324 · Southampton delta -26,309 people
For 2021 population, the source reports 223,324 for Portsmouth. That sits in the highest decile, 47.8 percentile points from the middle position. Southampton, the named regional peer from South East, differs by -26,309 people when the calculation is Portsmouth minus peer. Nearest complete record in South East. Its practical use is to frame—not answer—a question about content hierarchy and service-capacity assumptions; the next evidence should come from task-frequency interviews and observed completion data. The responsible interpretation stops short of intent: population size does not establish addressable demand.
Classification peer
Population aged under 25: 32.7% · Norwich delta +1.8 pp
Population aged under 25 is one of Portsmouth's three furthest-from-middle observations: 32.7%, percentile 92, highest decile. The same-source classification check uses Norwich, classified as Nearer - Higher deprivation - Working. The Portsmouth-minus-Norwich delta on this metric is +1.8 pp. This evidence can narrow a discovery question around mobile task speed, privacy explanation and channel continuity, while cross-device usability sessions without age-based assumptions supplies the user-level check the aggregate data cannot provide. This remains contextual evidence—an age-group share does not determine channel preference.
National peer
Population aged 65 or over: 15.7% · Wolverhampton delta -1.1 pp
For population aged 65 or over, the source reports 15.7% for Portsmouth. That sits in the lower quartile, 35.6 percentile points from the middle position. Wolverhampton, the named national peer from West Midlands, differs by -1.1 pp when the calculation is Portsmouth minus peer. Nearest remaining complete England record. Use the contrast to prioritise research into readability, keyboard access and assisted alternatives. A decision should wait for inclusive usability sessions and accessibility conformance checks. This remains contextual evidence—an age-group share does not determine digital ability.
Together, 2021 population, population aged under 25, population aged 65 or over and the constrained comparisons with Southampton, Norwich, Wolverhampton create three separate research tracks for Portsmouth. They do not form a demand score. Keep each hypothesis independently testable, record contradictory findings and remove a planning assumption when user evidence does not support it.
06 / Evidence interpretation
Planning signals before design decisions
Population context: 223,324 people in 2021
Portsmouth's recorded population changed from 200,824 in 2001 to 223,324 in 2021 (+11.2%). This historical direction can inform content governance and capacity planning, but it is not a forecast and does not establish demand for a particular service.
Audience context: 15.7% aged 65 or over
The 2021 age-group series records 39,524 people aged 0 to 15, 33,555 aged 16 to 24, 115,258 aged 25 to 64 and 35,010 aged 65 or over. Small differences from the headline population reflect the published source series; percentages here use the age-group total and should guide testing questions, not stereotypes.
Activity context: 38.5% economically inactive
ONS records economic inactivity at 38.5%. The published composition includes 18.1% retired, 4% long-term sick or disabled, 8.8% students and 4.5% looking after home or family. These categories support inclusive task design; they do not identify individual users or purchasing intent.
Economic context: £260,920 median house price in 2023
The median house-price series moved from £83,995 in 2001 to £244,000 in 2021 and £260,920 in 2023, a published change of +210.6%. It is contextual evidence only—not a current affordability, revenue or customer-value estimate.
07 / Independent question set
Questions this evidence cannot answer on its own
These questions convert the profile-specific observations into falsifiable discovery work. They are not recommendations to create a service, location or page, and each needs direct user or behavioural evidence before it changes a website brief.
- 01
Before prioritising content hierarchy and service-capacity assumptions, which part of task-frequency interviews and observed completion data would verify whether this 2021 population observation matters to users in Portsmouth?
This question is traceable to 2021 population at percentile 97.8 and a -26,309 people profile-minus-peer difference, not to inferred local behaviour.
- 02
If the classification peer delta of +1.8 pp is included in a brief, what decision about mobile task speed, privacy explanation and channel continuity could it inform and what result would falsify that hypothesis?
The prompt combines one distinctive metric with the named classification comparator selected by the eight-metric method. It does not treat either record as search, lead or customer evidence.
- 03
Where should the team record uncertainty when using Portsmouth's population aged 65 or over value and the Wolverhampton comparison to discuss readability, keyboard access and assisted alternatives?
Wolverhampton is the constrained national reference and is classified as Nearer - Higher deprivation - Working; the question keeps an age-group share does not determine digital ability as an explicit limit.
- 04
For Portsmouth's major, coastal, working built-up area, nearer to a major town or city classification, how should 2021 population, population aged under 25, population aged 65 or over be tested as separate website hypotheses without turning the combined pattern into a claim about local demand?
Cross-check all three named comparisons—Southampton, Norwich, Wolverhampton—and define a user-research or behavioural measure for each question before changing navigation, page scope or conversion paths. The observations share one source but do not demonstrate causation.
08 / Practical brief
Website-planning recommendations for this evidence pattern
- 01
Separate employer and customer journeys
Portsmouth is classified as a working town. A useful website brief should separate recruitment, procurement and customer tasks, then give each journey its own proof, contact route and success measure instead of forcing every visitor through one generic enquiry page.
- 02
Differentiate from the nearby major centre
Portsmouth is nearer to a major town or city. Use specific offer boundaries, proof and response expectations to explain why the organisation is relevant; do not rely on a place-name heading or create a doorway that simply redirects users to a national service page.
- 03
Support quick comparison without hiding detail
32.7% of the recorded 2021 age-group total is under 25. Lead with concise task summaries and responsive performance, while keeping fees, eligibility, privacy and next steps available in the same journey rather than behind a social-only channel.
- 04
Prepare the content model for change
Portsmouth recorded +11.2% population change from 2001 to 2021 and +1.9% employment change from 2015 to 2024. Use owned templates, update dates, accountable content roles and measurable conversion events so the site can evolve without publishing unreviewed route permutations.
09 / Method and limits
What this profile can—and cannot—support
This is a Mosalio editorial interpretation of the ONS May 2026 dataset for BUA24 code E63013748. The source periods differ by metric; values are historical, not live. The profile deliberately excludes ONS experimental visitor-to-resident fields and makes no claim about search volume, rankings, customers, a Mosalio office or physical delivery in Portsmouth.
Mosalio does not claim an office, staff member, customer, or physical-delivery presence in Portsmouth.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Understanding towns in England and Wales, investigating socioeconomic trends, released . This Mosalio interpretation was first published on and last reviewed on .
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
How this page was made: Mosalio applies one documented, deterministic transform to the validated ONS record, calculates the displayed comparisons, and renders the result from source-controlled data. It is an automated public-data resource, not individually commissioned local market research. A portfolio-level editorial-value review checks every profile's source identity, distinctive metrics, peer evidence, synthesis and planning questions before index eligibility can be enabled.
Analysis basis: Midrank percentile across all accepted England records; a higher percentile means a higher published value, not a better outcome. Root-mean-square Euclidean distance across eight clipped robust z-scores; population and 2023 house price are log-transformed before median/MAD scaling.