nomisweb.co.uk APInomisweb.co.uk ↗
Access UK labour market and population data from Nomis via 3 endpoints. Retrieve resident population counts, RQF qualification levels, and dataset catalogues.
curl -X GET 'https://api.parse.bot/scraper/e7adfedd-b405-4182-9141-8fe60da3c355/get_resident_population?year=2023&area_name=Westminster' \ -H 'X-API-Key: $PARSE_API_KEY'
Retrieve resident population estimates from dataset NM_31_1. Supports filtering by area name and year. Returns a single observation with population count for the specified area and year.
| Param | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| year | string | Year for population estimates (e.g. 2023, 2022). |
| area_name | string | Name of the local authority area (e.g. Camden, Westminster, Islington). |
{
"type": "object",
"fields": {
"year": "integer or string, the year of the estimate",
"status": "string, data quality status (e.g. Normal Value)",
"geogcode": "string, ONS geography code (e.g. E09000007)",
"area_name": "string, name of the geographic area",
"population_count": "integer, resident population count"
},
"sample": {
"data": {
"year": 2023,
"status": "Normal Value",
"geogcode": "E09000007",
"area_name": "Camden",
"population_count": 217235
},
"status": "success"
}
}About the nomisweb.co.uk API
This API provides access to official UK labour market and demographic statistics from Nomis (nomisweb.co.uk) across 3 endpoints. The get_resident_population endpoint returns ONS-coded population estimates by local authority area and year, while get_qualifications surfaces Annual Population Survey data on RQF qualification levels for working-age residents, and list_datasets exposes the full Nomis dataset catalogue with machine-readable IDs.
What the API Returns
Three endpoints cover resident population figures, qualification attainment, and dataset discovery. get_resident_population queries dataset NM_31_1 and returns a single observation per request, including the ONS geography code (geogcode), area_name, population_count, and a status field indicating data quality (e.g. "Normal Value"). Results can be filtered by area_name (e.g. Camden, Westminster, Islington) and year.
Qualifications Data
get_qualifications pulls from the Annual Population Survey (dataset NM_17_1) and targets people aged 16–64 within a specified local authority area. Supply area_name and a time_period in YYYY-MM format, where the month denotes the survey end month. The response includes a qualifications array where each element carries a qualification_level description (the RQF level), an integer count, and a status field. Note that some counts may be returned as an empty string when data has been suppressed for disclosure reasons.
Dataset Discovery
list_datasets requires no input parameters and returns the full Nomis dataset catalogue as an array of objects, each with an id (e.g. NM_1_1, NM_17_1) and a human-readable name. This is useful for identifying dataset identifiers before building more targeted queries against specific Nomis datasets.
Coverage and Scope
Geographic filtering is currently scoped to local authority areas in England (the examples reference London boroughs). Data freshness depends on Nomis publication cycles — annual population estimates typically lag by one to two years, and the Annual Population Survey is published on a rolling annual basis.
- Map resident population trends across London boroughs by querying
get_resident_populationfor multiple years - Benchmark workforce qualification levels in a target local authority using
get_qualificationsRQF counts - Build a dataset browser for Nomis by iterating over results from
list_datasetsto surface available IDs and names - Compare qualification attainment across time periods within a single area using the
time_periodparameter - Enrich site-selection models with ONS-coded population data keyed on
geogcode - Identify suppressed data gaps in qualification surveys using the
statusand emptycountfields in the qualifications array
| Tier | Price | Credits/month | Rate limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 100 | 5 req/min |
| Hobby | $30/mo | 1,000 | 20 req/min |
| Developer | $100/mo | 5,000 | 250 req/min |
One credit = one API call regardless of which marketplace API you call. Exceeding the rate limit returns a 429 response. Authenticate with the X-API-Key header.
Does Nomis have an official developer API?+
What does `get_qualifications` return when data is suppressed?+
count field in the qualifications array is returned as an empty string rather than an integer. The status field for that item will reflect the suppression reason. This applies at the level of individual RQF qualification bands within a given area and time period.Can I retrieve data for regions or counties rather than local authority areas?+
get_resident_population and get_qualifications endpoints accept an area_name parameter scoped to local authority areas such as Camden or Westminster. You can fork this API on Parse and revise it to add a regional or county-level geography filter using the appropriate Nomis geography codes.Does the API return employment or unemployment rates alongside population data?+
list_datasets. You can fork this API on Parse and revise it to add an endpoint targeting the relevant employment dataset ID.How current is the data returned by `get_resident_population`?+
year input parameter lets you specify which reference year to retrieve, so you can check availability by testing recent years directly.