LATEST figures show how more than one in 20 people living in North Somerset were born outside the UK.

After those born in the UK, the most common country of birth for residents in the district is Poland.

The latest statistics from the 2011 census, published over the past week, provide a new level of geographical detail about the characteristics of the population of areas across the country.

Figures show that of the 202,566 North Somerset residents surveyed in March 2011, 190,809 were born in the UK. Another 6,213 had been in the country for more than 10 years, but a further 2,295 moved to the UK during the past decade.

The census, details of which are released in phases, provides the most accurate estimate possible for the population of England and Wales and has been carried out every 10 years since 1801, apart from 1941, by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The Government uses the census statistics to allocate funding for services such as education, transport and health.

Policy makers in central and local government use the census to identify the needs of different communities and they are also used by commercial enterprises.

Figures released last week show of the 195,597 aged three and over surveyed in North Somerset, 190,754 had English as their main language, the second most popular main language was Polish at 1,491.

The figures also show that, of those who answered, more than half of the 165,914 respondents aged 16 and over were married, with 16,902 divorced or having a dissolved civil partnership.

More than 36 per cent owned their own property outright and a similar figure owned their property with a mortgage or loan, which is higher than the national average.

Nearly 20 per cent of those aged 16 and over had no formal qualifications, which is slightly lower than the national average.