Country or area · Northern Europe · Europe · UN WPP 2024

United Kingdom population

United Kingdom population now

70,020,883

A projection read at this second, not a count: the UN's totals for 1 January 2026 and 2027, joined by a straight line. 95% range for 31 December 2026: 69.4–70.9 million.

Mid-2023, UN estimate: 68,682,962

Year: 2026; projection · medium
Population, mid-2026: 69.9315 million; 95% range, 31 Dec: 69.4–70.9 million
Median age: 41.2
Aged 65+: 19.9%

Move through time, 1950–2100

2023 | 2024 peak 2072

male female projection · one cell = 10,000 people

How to read this: one row for each age, newborns at the bottom; men on the left, women on the right.

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries

GBR · 1950–2100 · in brief

United Kingdom in numbers

The UN counts 68,682,962 people in The United Kingdom in mid-2023, which makes it the 21st-largest population of the 236 countries and areas the UN reports, and 0.85% of the world's people. That is 1.4 times its 1950 population of 50.1 million.

The UN's medium projection has it peaking in 2072 at 76.1 million, then falling to 74.3 million by 2100. The projection is uncertain: on 1 January 2100 the UN's 95% range runs from 37.9 million to 161 million.

In the medium projection, deaths outnumber births every year from 2027 on. Deaths also outnumbered births in 1976 and 2020. The population still grows until 2072, because more people arrive than leave.

The median age was 34.9 in 1950 and 40.8 in 2023; the projection has 48.9 in 2100. 19.2% of people were 65 or older in 2023, against 31.3% projected for 2100. The working-age population (15–64) is projected to peak in 2044 at 45.8 million.

Among countries it ranks 21st in 2023, 26th in 2050 and 34th in 2100. In the medium projection it overtakes Thailand in 2030, Germany in 2059 and Türkiye in 2085. It is overtaken by Tanzania in 2025, Kenya in 2040 and South Africa in 2040.

Population, mid-2023: 68,682,962
Rank by population, 2023: 21 of 236
Share of the world, 2023: 0.85%
Change in a year, mid-2022 to mid-2023: +0.74% · +503,646 people
People per km² of land, 2023: 284
Land area, 2023: 241,930 km²
Births, 2023: 688,388
Deaths, 2023: 653,747
Net migration, 2023: +445,523
Children per woman, 2023: 1.56
Median age, 2023: 40.8 years
Life expectancy at birth, 2023: 81.3 years
In a city, 2025: 58 of every 100
Population, mid-1950: 50,121,017
Projected, mid-2050: 75,504,681
Projected, mid-2100: 74,305,411

GBR · 1950–2100 · total population

Population, 1950–2100

peak 2072estimates | projections050 m100 m150 m200 m1950197520002025205020752100

estimate projection, up to the bottom of the 95% range 95% range medium projection. Every column stands for a single year, counted on 1 January, and the paper rules slice it into cells of equal size.

Show the numbers: United Kingdom, 1950–2100

United Kingdom: population on 1 January, births, deaths, fertility and life expectancy, 1950–2100
Year	Kind	Population, 1 Jan	95% range	Births	Deaths	Children per woman	Life expectancy
1950	estimate	49,931,042		817,314	589,015	2.22	68.6
1951	estimate	50,310,992		796,531	631,196	2.19	68.2
1952	estimate	50,382,639		792,055	572,859	2.19	69.5
1953	estimate	50,609,830		794,626	575,600	2.23	69.8
1954	estimate	50,844,243		790,995	576,387	2.25	70.2
1955	estimate	51,072,256		793,412	593,831	2.28	70.1
1956	estimate	51,281,239		818,148	595,914	2.38	70.4
1957	estimate	51,519,680		843,837	589,236	2.47	70.5
1958	estimate	51,792,143		863,528	601,745	2.55	70.7
1959	estimate	52,079,145		879,177	603,536	2.60	70.8
1960	estimate	52,373,797		910,595	601,038	2.70	71.0
1961	estimate	52,703,300		939,632	628,633	2.79	70.8
1962	estimate	53,066,597		968,825	632,800	2.87	70.9
1963	estimate	53,479,064		989,544	650,069	2.91	70.8
1964	estimate	53,826,808		999,443	610,906	2.93	71.5
1965	estimate	54,191,461		988,612	628,532	2.87	71.5
1966	estimate	54,526,580		973,136	645,677	2.78	71.4
1967	estimate	54,826,108		954,025	619,257	2.68	72.1
1968	estimate	55,121,214		936,339	658,626	2.59	71.7
1969	estimate	55,360,077		914,985	662,072	2.50	71.7
1970	estimate	55,552,336		896,322	658,140	2.42	71.9
1971	estimate	55,775,266		876,903	647,871	2.34	72.2
1972	estimate	56,005,478		825,796	676,864	2.18	72.0
1973	estimate	56,153,000		777,786	672,363	2.04	72.2
1974	estimate	56,224,583		735,878	670,237	1.92	72.4
1975	estimate	56,224,516		696,561	665,069	1.81	72.7
1976	estimate	56,215,769		673,104	683,222	1.74	72.6
1977	estimate	56,186,507		657,894	657,615	1.69	73.1
1978	estimate	56,165,152		686,720	669,703	1.75	73.0
1979	estimate	56,185,961		732,140	677,778	1.86	73.2
1980	estimate	56,251,565		749,962	663,701	1.89	73.6
1981	estimate	56,312,641		728,036	660,251	1.82	73.9
1982	estimate	56,296,542		718,929	665,358	1.78	74.0
1983	estimate	56,288,967		720,473	661,358	1.77	74.3
1984	estimate	56,375,148		728,019	646,791	1.77	74.7
1985	estimate	56,527,479		747,104	672,405	1.79	74.5
1986	estimate	56,685,350		753,943	662,628	1.78	74.8
1987	estimate	56,818,495		773,010	646,220	1.81	75.2
1988	estimate	56,953,552		782,549	650,511	1.82	75.3
1989	estimate	57,099,541		780,020	664,419	1.79	75.4
1990	estimate	57,264,731		797,555	648,416	1.83	75.7
1991	estimate	57,470,993		794,106	653,316	1.82	75.9
1992	estimate	57,639,391		783,023	641,099	1.79	76.3
1993	estimate	57,799,152		762,216	665,859	1.76	76.2
1994	estimate	57,922,922		749,940	634,717	1.74	76.7
1995	estimate	58,083,484		733,841	652,927	1.71	76.6
1996	estimate	58,225,785		733,797	643,197	1.72	76.9
1997	estimate	58,371,345		728,676	636,917	1.72	77.1
1998	estimate	58,522,833		719,249	636,813	1.71	77.3
1999	estimate	58,730,806		703,837	640,790	1.68	77.4
2000	estimate	58,946,508		684,572	616,828	1.64	77.8
2001	estimate	59,168,168		675,043	610,333	1.62	78.1
2002	estimate	59,408,012		676,877	614,955	1.63	78.2
2003	estimate	59,673,514		701,719	619,822	1.70	78.3
2004	estimate	59,967,256		721,166	591,815	1.75	78.9
2005	estimate	60,372,678		729,201	590,620	1.76	79.1
2006	estimate	60,819,538		754,428	580,231	1.81	79.3
2007	estimate	61,282,651		778,605	581,592	1.86	79.5
2008	estimate	61,789,058		799,621	586,511	1.91	79.7
2009	estimate	62,265,555		797,810	566,115	1.89	80.2
2010	estimate	62,746,896		812,048	567,680	1.92	80.4
2011	estimate	63,266,070		814,718	557,068	1.91	80.8
2012	estimate	63,752,501		817,336	573,444	1.91	80.9
2013	estimate	64,168,467		785,366	580,798	1.83	80.9
2014	estimate	64,610,309		779,584	574,464	1.81	81.2
2015	estimate	65,121,524		779,219	605,880	1.80	80.9
2016	estimate	65,642,696		776,038	599,376	1.78	81.1
2017	estimate	66,144,020		757,154	608,561	1.74	81.2
2018	estimate	66,564,922		733,085	617,718	1.68	81.1
2019	estimate	66,940,028		714,388	605,258	1.63	81.4
2020	estimate	67,281,888		687,269	691,537	1.57	80.4
2021	estimate	67,421,835		693,027	662,086	1.58	80.7
2022	estimate	67,915,749		688,630	648,522	1.56	81.1
2023	estimate	68,442,882		688,388	653,747	1.56	81.3
2024	estimate	68,923,043		683,910	670,730	1.55	81.5
2025	projection	69,353,340	69.1–69.6 million	680,076	673,998	1.54	81.6
2026	projection	69,749,323	69.3–70.2 million	678,001	677,695	1.53	81.8
2027	projection	70,113,733	69.4–70.9 million	676,557	681,844	1.53	81.9
2028	projection	70,473,428	69.5–71.5 million	676,721	686,915	1.52	82.0
2029	projection	70,812,520	69.5–72.2 million	677,334	691,394	1.52	82.2
2030	projection	71,130,153	69.5–72.9 million	678,641	695,826	1.52	82.4
2031	projection	71,443,831	69.5–73.6 million	680,210	702,129	1.52	82.5
2032	projection	71,731,017	69.4–74.4 million	682,841	707,252	1.52	82.7
2033	projection	72,006,293	69.3–75.1 million	685,903	714,112	1.52	82.8
2034	projection	72,279,467	69.2–75.8 million	690,817	721,130	1.53	82.9
2035	projection	72,531,902	69.1–76.4 million	696,542	727,218	1.53	83.1
2036	projection	72,781,728	68.9–77.2 million	702,379	733,355	1.53	83.2
2037	projection	73,014,781	68.7–78.0 million	708,614	740,358	1.53	83.4
2038	projection	73,237,165	68.5–78.8 million	715,320	746,662	1.53	83.5
2039	projection	73,459,216	68.3–79.6 million	722,267	753,136	1.53	83.6
2040	projection	73,670,700	68.0–80.4 million	728,234	757,171	1.53	83.8
2041	projection	73,878,553	67.8–81.2 million	734,959	762,961	1.53	83.9
2042	projection	74,082,149	67.4–82.1 million	739,793	767,912	1.54	84.0
2043	projection	74,280,977	67.2–83.1 million	743,510	772,131	1.54	84.2
2044	projection	74,480,147	67.0–84.2 million	744,205	777,205	1.54	84.3
2045	projection	74,664,990	66.7–85.2 million	744,178	781,175	1.54	84.5
2046	projection	74,842,325	66.4–86.1 million	743,572	786,203	1.54	84.6
2047	projection	75,009,242	66.1–86.8 million	740,878	791,278	1.54	84.7
2048	projection	75,168,969	65.9–87.6 million	736,673	796,441	1.54	84.8
2049	projection	75,314,991	65.5–88.5 million	732,104	801,692	1.55	84.9
2050	projection	75,445,817	65.2–89.5 million	727,015	805,480	1.55	85.1
2051	projection	75,563,545	64.8–90.6 million	720,825	809,826	1.55	85.2
2052	projection	75,669,368	64.4–91.9 million	714,459	814,681	1.55	85.3
2053	projection	75,761,038	63.9–92.9 million	709,065	819,847	1.55	85.5
2054	projection	75,834,374	63.5–94.2 million	702,613	823,698	1.55	85.6
2055	projection	75,901,672	63.2–95.4 million	696,328	828,166	1.55	85.7
2056	projection	75,940,445	62.8–96.6 million	690,683	830,678	1.56	85.8
2057	projection	75,973,061	62.2–97.7 million	687,067	834,677	1.56	85.9
2058	projection	75,992,928	61.6–98.8 million	682,676	836,526	1.56	86.1
2059	projection	76,011,102	61.0–99.9 million	679,728	838,732	1.56	86.2
2060	projection	76,010,614	60.5–101.0 million	676,802	839,862	1.56	86.3
2061	projection	76,010,098	60.1–102.1 million	674,045	839,869	1.56	86.4
2062	projection	76,012,417	59.4–103.3 million	672,475	840,287	1.56	86.5
2063	projection	76,019,028	59.0–104.5 million	671,753	839,802	1.56	86.6
2064	projection	76,018,624	58.4–106.2 million	672,014	838,372	1.56	86.8
2065	projection	76,021,682	57.8–107.3 million	672,175	837,721	1.57	86.9
2066	projection	76,022,475	57.4–108.6 million	673,266	836,555	1.57	87.0
2067	projection	76,029,355	56.8–110.1 million	673,883	835,524	1.57	87.1
2068	projection	76,036,748	56.3–111.8 million	675,791	835,645	1.57	87.2
2069	projection	76,037,598	55.8–112.8 million	677,990	834,773	1.57	87.3
2070	projection	76,044,247	55.3–113.6 million	680,206	835,039	1.57	87.4
2071	projection	76,053,922	54.8–114.8 million	682,389	835,431	1.57	87.5
2072	projection	76,064,593	54.3–116.0 million	685,347	836,872	1.57	87.6
2073	projection	76,072,173	53.9–117.2 million	687,133	837,876	1.57	87.8
2074	projection	76,063,085	53.5–118.6 million	687,732	840,348	1.57	87.8
2075	projection	76,051,780	52.9–119.8 million	688,271	843,112	1.57	88.0
2076	projection	76,039,283	52.3–120.9 million	688,936	846,007	1.58	88.1
2077	projection	76,036,897	51.8–122.3 million	688,607	847,895	1.58	88.2
2078	projection	76,019,335	51.2–124.5 million	687,830	849,739	1.58	88.3
2079	projection	76,000,881	50.6–125.3 million	687,085	851,737	1.58	88.4
2080	projection	75,972,263	50.1–126.3 million	684,852	853,557	1.58	88.5
2081	projection	75,940,239	49.6–127.7 million	682,528	854,762	1.58	88.6
2082	projection	75,913,162	49.1–128.9 million	679,737	856,423	1.58	88.7
2083	projection	75,872,391	48.5–130.2 million	676,277	856,405	1.58	88.8
2084	projection	75,822,937	48.1–131.7 million	672,582	856,912	1.58	88.9
2085	projection	75,772,616	47.4–133.3 million	668,811	857,648	1.58	89.0
2086	projection	75,713,936	46.6–134.6 million	665,242	857,341	1.58	89.1
2087	projection	75,646,203	46.0–136.5 million	662,043	857,642	1.59	89.2
2088	projection	75,575,416	45.5–138.5 million	658,391	856,978	1.59	89.3
2089	projection	75,503,840	44.8–140.4 million	654,745	855,292	1.59	89.4
2090	projection	75,421,608	44.0–142.8 million	651,693	854,571	1.59	89.5
2091	projection	75,334,950	43.2–144.6 million	648,268	853,834	1.59	89.6
2092	projection	75,245,024	42.6–146.2 million	645,080	852,379	1.59	89.8
2093	projection	75,151,869	41.8–147.8 million	642,940	852,222	1.59	89.9
2094	projection	75,053,951	41.3–150.9 million	641,192	852,284	1.59	90.0
2095	projection	74,957,581	40.5–153.1 million	639,142	854,048	1.59	90.1
2096	projection	74,847,692	40.0–154.4 million	637,053	855,684	1.59	90.2
2097	projection	74,735,890	39.4–156.2 million	636,407	857,404	1.59	90.3
2098	projection	74,622,259	39.0–158.5 million	635,896	861,488	1.59	90.4
2099	projection	74,503,688	38.6–160.1 million	635,554	865,191	1.59	90.5
2100	projection	74,373,670	37.9–160.9 million	635,537	869,387	1.59	90.6

Show the numbers: United Kingdom, mid-2026, by single year of age

United Kingdom: population by single year of age, mid-2026
Age	Male	Female
0	352,142	334,160
1	357,948	339,926
2	362,886	344,706
3	365,507	347,194
4	368,948	350,544
5	374,100	355,578
6	384,060	364,430
7	398,460	378,090
8	411,500	391,187
9	423,738	402,500
10	430,110	408,173
11	431,576	410,114
12	437,226	415,988
13	447,428	426,043
14	450,278	428,745
15	443,776	422,754
16	438,612	418,076
17	441,162	420,098
18	442,610	421,103
19	438,870	418,281
20	433,776	414,542
21	428,708	409,394
22	423,960	403,696
23	417,508	396,369
24	420,390	399,830
25	432,534	410,022
26	445,186	419,537
27	453,974	428,150
28	462,556	437,880
29	469,018	444,347
30	467,192	443,524
31	469,588	448,126
32	473,263	454,664
33	479,444	467,615
34	490,442	479,626
35	486,806	473,990
36	474,210	467,170
37	442,987	448,924
38	432,010	445,188
39	456,516	465,034
40	471,628	477,972
41	462,058	472,335
42	449,625	458,532
43	452,897	461,660
44	451,574	464,701
45	451,427	464,932
46	443,395	453,780
47	420,465	426,023
48	405,748	411,409
49	404,078	411,855
50	410,218	417,167
51	420,042	425,018
52	435,360	431,928
53	456,863	449,879
54	453,638	478,791
55	432,035	478,010
56	442,089	472,722
57	445,150	484,202
58	437,474	480,149
59	432,400	470,654
60	426,094	466,484
61	422,539	459,432
62	407,204	448,968
63	399,846	441,832
64	397,874	432,249
65	387,398	417,176
66	372,054	403,124
67	367,172	400,048
68	356,779	391,504
69	338,814	375,737
70	325,434	362,186
71	315,044	355,062
72	306,498	350,578
73	293,158	339,091
74	281,134	326,916
75	279,121	319,290
76	280,308	317,230
77	284,320	320,578
78	296,944	336,710
79	268,772	310,080
80	216,822	262,249
81	196,341	249,620
82	180,126	232,733
83	155,817	205,941
84	131,434	178,302
85	117,506	159,242
86	111,369	151,034
87	101,030	139,315
88	86,418	124,362
89	72,196	109,332
90	59,252	93,586
91	47,222	78,509
92	36,674	64,344
93	28,140	52,138
94	21,362	42,232
95	15,701	33,632
96	10,954	25,513
97	7,317	18,428
98	4,754	12,902
99	2,986	8,838
100+	4,033	14,834

GBR · 1950–2100 · every age, every year

United Kingdom, every age in every year

Each column is a year and each row an age; the denser the ink in a cell, the more people. Everyone born in the same year climbs one 45° diagonal, so famines, baby booms and migration show up as streaks. Select a cell to follow its generation.

GBR · ages 15–64

Who does the work in United Kingdom

On the UN's projection, the United Kingdom will have the most working-age people it ever has in 2044: 45,767,900 people aged 15–64. In 2023 it had 43,512,500.

100 aged 15–64

27 children

30 aged 65+

aged 15–64 children under 15 aged 65 and over

How to read this: one orange square for each of 100 people aged 15–64 in 2023. Beneath them, teal for the children living alongside those 100 and violet for the people aged 65 or older.

Fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people aged 15–64 in 1 year: 1950.

fewer than 50 dependants per 100 the same, projected 50 or more

How to read this: 1950 on the left, 2100 on the right; coloured in the years with fewer than 50 dependants per 100 working-age people, grey in the rest, hatched where that is a projection.

How every country compares

GBR · arrivals minus departures

Who arrives in United Kingdom, and who leaves

In 2020–2025 the United Kingdom gains 415,939 people a year: everyone who arrives, minus everyone who leaves. The age at which that happens most is 20–24, at 71,804 a year more arriving than leaving.

one square = 10,000 people a year

020406080+

more arrive than leave more leave than arrive

How to read this: each column is one age, youngest on the left. Above the line, in blue, are the ages gaining people; below it, in orange, the ages losing them. This is the UN's projection for 2020–2025 — the record of migration by age does not go back beyond 2020.

In the years that were counted, 1950–2023, the most it gained in one year was 487,029 (2022) and the most it lost was 93,691 (1951).

In 2024, 11,845,479 people living in the United Kingdom had been born in another country, 17 of every 100 people there, against 6 in 1990.

How migration works everywhere

GBR · births by the mother's age · 1950–2100

Who has the babies in United Kingdom

Of every 100 babies born in the United Kingdom in 2023, 2 had a mother under 20, 73 a mother aged 20 to 34 and 25 a mother aged 35 or older. In 1950 it was 4 under 20 and 16 aged 35 or older.

1950
4 · 80 · 16

2023
2 · 73 · 25

2050 · projected
1 · 66 · 33

The mother's age: under 20 20 to 34 35 or older projected

How to read this: shrink a year's babies to 100 and colour each one by the age of its mother — that is a block. Under it, the same three groups as numbers, starting with the youngest mothers.

Babies born, 2023: 688,388
Average age when women have a baby: 30.9 years; 28.3 in 1950
Babies a year per 1,000 girls aged 15–19: 8; 22 in 1950

Babies by the mother's age, 1950–2100

Babies born in the United Kingdom by the mother's age
Mother's age	1950	1975	2000	2023	2050 projected	2100 projected
10–14	75	383	415	55	9	7
15–19	36,051	71,343	52,438	16,193	4,830	3,918
20–24	222,159	220,961	122,670	82,403	50,743	46,053
25–29	263,770	257,468	195,768	178,312	161,683	152,180
30–34	164,052	103,922	203,009	237,844	266,832	232,198
35–39	99,693	33,509	93,021	138,141	183,624	149,566
40–44	29,771	7,931	16,465	32,932	52,307	44,442
45–49	1,656	895	786	2,486	6,884	7,073
50–54	87	149	0	22	103	100
All babies	817,314	696,561	684,572	688,388	727,015	635,537

The UN's births for each year, split by the mother's age in the UN's own proportions.

GBR · healthy years · 2021

Years in good health in United Kingdom

A baby born in the United Kingdom in 2021 could expect 80.1 years of life, 68.6 of them in full health (95% range 67.8–69.5). That leaves 11.5 years in less than full health, more than the world's 9.5: a longer life usually brings a longer stretch of illness near its end.

Women

69.0 in full health, 12.9 not: 81.9 years

Men

68.2 in full health, 10.1 not: 78.3 years

a year in full health a year in less than full health

How to read this: each square is a year of life, each row ten years; filled squares are years in full health, rounded to whole years.

Women: 69.0 healthy years of 81.9. Men: 68.2 of 78.3. In 2019, before the pandemic, the healthy years were 69.7.

GBR · forced from home · end of 2025

Displacement in United Kingdom

At the end of 2025, the United Kingdom was hosting 725,819 people who had crossed a border into it, about 10 of every 1,000 people living there.

hosted from abroad725,819
United Kingdom nationals abroad1,013

stayed inside their own country crossed a border

How to read this: each square is 20,000 people, so the rows can be compared with one another. The last row is people from the United Kingdom living in another country, wherever they are. An outlined square means fewer people than one square stands for.

In 2025, 100,620 people asked for asylum in the United Kingdom for the first time; 762 people from the United Kingdom asked for asylum in another country. Of every 100 people from the United Kingdom whose claims were decided that year, 6 were given protection. Who asks for asylum, and who is given it

How the world's displacement is counted

GBR · of every 100 people

How people live in United Kingdom

Of every 100 people in the United Kingdom in 2025, 58 lived in a city, 28 in a town or suburb and 14 in the countryside.

cities towns and suburbs rural areas

Nearly everyone has electricity at home (2024). 4.5 of every 100 do not use the internet (2024).

How to read this: one square for every hundredth person, coloured as the key shows. Because the rule behind the colours is the same everywhere, two countries' squares can be compared directly.

How the world's people live

GBR · adults 25 and over · 2020

How far people in United Kingdom went in school

Almost every adult in the United Kingdom went to school: of every 100 in 2020, 68 finished upper secondary or went further.

32 finished lower secondary 31 finished upper secondary 37 studied after school

Its people aged 15 to 64 are projected to be most numerous in 2030; the ones who finished upper secondary are most numerous later, in 2070.

How to read this: 100 squares, one for every hundredth adult aged 25 or over, from least schooling on the left to most on the right. Counted by the Wittgenstein Centre for 2020.

How far the world's people went in school

GBR · cities · 2025

Cities in United Kingdom

The United Kingdom had 150 cities in 2025, home to 40.4 million people. The largest, London, holds 15 of every 100 people in the United Kingdom.

London10,416,420
Birmingham2,631,757
Manchester2,535,427
Liverpool1,227,470
Leeds1,065,607
Glasgow970,320
Newcastle upon Tyne760,969
Nottingham649,610
Bristol615,703
Sheffield549,695

All 26 cities in the United Kingdom that reach 300,000 people

London 10,416,420
Birmingham 2,631,757
Manchester 2,535,427
Liverpool 1,227,470
Leeds 1,065,607
Glasgow 970,320
Newcastle upon Tyne 760,969
Nottingham 649,610
Bristol 615,703
Sheffield 549,695
Leicester 530,264
Edinburgh 521,784
Portsmouth 488,385
Brighton 467,937
Belfast 441,925
Coventry 427,678
Cardiff 390,692
Bournemouth 386,557
Middlesbrough 349,436
Southampton 347,446
Stoke-on-Trent 332,542
Hull 322,100
Wakefield 306,684
Southend-on-Sea 280,158
Reading 274,632
Gillingham 258,422

How to read this: the 10 largest cities in 2025, bars on one scale. A city is the whole built-up area on the UN's rule, not the city's own boundary.

All the world's cities

Apparatus

Sources and method

Every figure on this page comes from the UN's World Population Prospects 2024: the annual country tables (estimates to 2023, projections with 95% intervals from 2024), and the population by single year of age and sex for the pyramid.

The censuses, surveys and registers behind the UN's estimates for the United Kingdom are listed, source by source, on the UN's own data sources page.

Sources: UN WPP 2024 · World Bank · UNHCR · country code lists · UN WUP 2025 · Wittgenstein Centre · WHO GHO · flag-icons · Natural Earth. Every source, its licence and how to cite it →

Checked before it was drawn

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries The pyramid for every year was checked against the published total. What that stamp counts, and what every page here has to pass before it can be built: how this site checks its figures.