Three of England’s four most sparsely populated areas are in Yorkshire, 2021 census data shows

Five local authority areas in England, and three in Wales, were found to have fewer than 50 inhabitants per square kilometre on census day last year.

Eden in Cumbria was the most sparsely populated area in England, with just 26 people per square kilometre at the time of the census.

Its population of 54,700 is the smallest of the six local authorities in the rural county of Cumbria.

Ryedale in North Yorkshire was the second most sparsely populated area in England, with 36 residents per square kilometre.

Two more North Yorkshire locations - Richmondshire and Craven - followed, with 38 and 48 respectively.

West Devon rounded off the list of the most sparsely populated areas in England, with 49 residents per square kilometre.

Powys in mid-Wales had the same population density as Eden, while Ceredigion (40) and Gwynedd (46) also made the list.

Unsurprisingly, almost all of the most densely populated areas were in London, with 15,695 residents per square kilometre in Tower Hamlets.

Outside of London, there was a higher concentration of people in Luton (5,197), Portsmouth (5,153) and Leicester (5,026) than anywhere else.