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Post-16 education and training do not exist in a vacuum. The services offered and their take-up are connected with and affected by a range of factors, including demographic change, economic and labour market trends, cultural factors and policy measures. It is important therefore, when looking at education and training, to have an overview of what is happening in the population as a whole. This is NIACE's first annual compilation of facts and figures relating to adults in the UK, providing recent statistical information for those working with, or doing research on, adult learners and potential learners. The digest covers three main topic areas, giving facts and figures relating to: the UK population (demographic trends, size and types of households, income levels, lifestyles, time use, civic engagement); the labour market (economic trends, employment and unemployment rates and trends); and participation and attainment in different post-16 education and training sectors. The figures presented are from 2000-01 to 2003-2004. While they confirm some familiar trends in adult learning such as the link between adult learning and socio-economic status, the inclusion of data on population and labour market trends highlights several areas of opportunity for more co-ordinated and interconnected policy-making.