This page includes a dashboard summary about the Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller (GRT) communities in Surrey. This includes the 2021 Census, the Traveller caravan count*, and School Census.
*The July 2020 count was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The below dashboard is also available on Tableau Public.
Highlights:
Please note that the way GRT communities are named and grouped differ between data sources.
2021 Census
- At the time of the 2021 Census, there were 2,680 self-reported Gypsy or Irish Travellers and 1,675 self-reported Roma individuals in Surrey. The Census found a higher rate of Gypsy or Irish Travellers per 1,000 residents in Surrey at 2.2 compared to England (1.2). Conversely, Surrey had a lower rate of Roma residents than England at 1.4 per 1,000 people compared to 1.8 in England.
- Runnymede had the highest rate of Gypsy or Irish Travellers at the time of the 2021 Census at 4.4 per 1,000 population, followed by Tandridge (3.9) and Guildford (3.3).
- While just under half (45.3%) of the Roma population in Surrey reported level 4 or above qualifications, just a quarter (24.0%) of Gypsy or Irish Traveller residents had level 4 or above qualifications and 65.0 per cent had no qualifications.
- The Gypsy or Irish Traveller population and the Roma population in Surrey both had the highest proportions of residents in skilled trade occupations (23.8% and 18.4% respectively) and elementary occupations (19.7% and 22.1% respectively).
- A higher proportion of Roma individuals in Surrey were in the caring, leisure and other service occupations (18.4%) than the Gypsy or Irish Traveller individuals (6.6%).
Pupil Characteristics (Annual School Census)
- Gypsy/Roma pupils represent 0.5 per cent (838) pupils in state-funded Surrey schools in 2023/24, compared to Traveller of Irish heritage pupils who represent 0.2 per cent of all (316) pupils.
- A higher proportion of pupils from the GRT community are known to be eligible for free school meals (64% of Gypsy/Roma pupils and 55% of Traveller of Irish heritage pupils) compared to White British pupils in Surrey schools (14%).
- The actual number of Gypsy/Roma pupils who are eligible for FSMs has risen from 468 to 540 between 2019/20 and 2023/24, representing a growth of 52.2 per cent of pupils.
Traveller Caravan Count
- As of January 2024, there were 1,435 known traveller caravans across Surrey. However, these figures do not include Guildford or Spelthorne due to a lack of reporting.
- The total number of traveller caravans has increased over time in both Mole Valley and Waverley due to increasing numbers of private traveller caravans (authorised).
- A higher percentage of traveller caravans are on socially rented/public sites in England (24.9%) than in Surrey (17.6%).
- Caravans are predominantly on socially rented sites in Epsom and Ewell & Surrey Heath, whereas nearly half of caravans in Reigate and Banstead are on unauthorised sites.
Sources:
2021 Census (Roma) - Roma populations, England and Wales - Office for National Statistics
2021 Census (Gypsy or Irish Traveller) - Gypsy or Irish Traveller populations, England and Wales - Office for National Statistics
Traveller caravan counts every January and July - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/traveller-caravan-count
Annual School Census / Pupil Characteristics - Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)
