United Kingdom Population

Britain was a colonial power and housed a worldwide empire in the early 1900s, and has played an important role in world history. The country’s exit from the EU, Brexit, has been the most important domestic policy issue since 2016.

Key figures and facts

• Capital: London
• Ethnic groups: Englishmen 83.6%, Scots 8.6%, Welsh 4.9%, Northern Irish 2.9%, African origin 2%, Asian origin and other 5.9% (2011)
• Language: English, Scottish, Welsh, Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic and Cornish (2012)
• Religion: Christians 59.5%, Muslims 4.4%, Hindus 1.3%, other/unspecified 9.2%, none 25.7% (2011)
• Population: 66 573 504 (2018)
• Control Form: Constitutional monarchy
• Area: 243 610 km2
• Currency: Pound
• GNP per capita: 42 656 PPP $
• National Day: 2nd Saturday in June

Population of United Kingdom

The population in the United Kingdom (2018) is estimated at 66.5 million. Of these, approximately 56 million (84 percent) live in England, approximately 3.2 million (4.7 percent) in Wales, approximately 5.4 million (8.2 percent) in Scotland and approximately 1.9 million (2.8 percent). percent) in Northern Ireland.

Population of United Kingdom by Year (Historical)

Year	Population	Annual Growth Rate	Population Density	Global Rank
2020	67,885,900	0.530%	280.6019	21
2019	67,530,061	0.580%	279.1310	21
2018	67,141,573	0.620%	277.5253	21
2017	66,727,350	0.650%	275.8131	21
2016	66,297,833	0.660%	274.0377	21
2015	65,860,035	0.750%	272.2281	21
2010	63,459,697	1.030%	262.3065	21
2005	60,287,843	0.460%	249.1959	21
2000	58,923,198	0.340%	243.5552	21
1995	57,932,342	0.280%	239.4596	19
1990	57,134,280	0.250%	236.1608	15
1985	56,413,442	0.070%	233.1813	15
1980	56,209,060	0.020%	232.3365	14
1975	56,152,222	0.210%	232.1016	13
1970	55,573,342	0.490%	229.7088	12
1965	54,240,739	0.700%	224.2006	10
1960	52,370,491	0.510%	216.4701	9
1955	51,063,791	0.180%	211.0689	9
1950	50,615,903	0.000%	209.2176	9

Major Cities in United Kingdom by Population

Rank	City	Population
1	London	7,556,789
2	Birmingham	984,222
3	Liverpool	864,011
4	Nottingham	729,866
5	Sheffield	685,257
6	Bristol	617,169
7	Glasgow	591,509
8	Leicester	508,805
9	Edinburgh	464,879
10	Leeds	455,012
11	Cardiff	447,176
12	Manchester	395,404
13	Stoke-on-Trent	372,664
14	Coventry	359,151
15	Sunderland	335,304
16	Birkenhead	325,153
17	Islington	319,032
18	Reading	317,903
19	Kingston upon Hull	313,907
20	Preston	313,221
21	Newport	306,733
22	Swansea	300,241
23	Bradford	299,199
24	Southend-on-Sea	295,199
25	Belfast	274,659
26	Derby	270,357
27	Plymouth	260,092
28	Luton	257,907
29	Wolverhampton	252,680
30	City of Westminster	247,503
31	Southampton	246,090
32	Blackpool	239,298
33	Milton Keynes	229,830
34	Bexley	227,889
35	Northampton	215,852
36	Archway	215,556
37	Norwich	213,055
38	Dudley	198,948
39	Aberdeen	196,559
40	Portsmouth	194,039
41	Newcastle upon Tyne	192,271
42	Sutton	187,489
43	Swindon	185,498
44	Crawley	180,397
45	Ipswich	178,724
46	Wigan	175,294
47	Croydon	173,203
48	Walsall	172,030
49	Mansfield	171,847
50	Oxford	171,269
51	Warrington	165,345
52	Slough	163,666
53	Bournemouth	163,489
54	Peterborough	163,268
55	Cambridge	158,323
56	Doncaster	158,030
57	York	153,606
58	Poole	149,981
59	Gloucester	149,942
60	Burnley	149,311
61	Huddersfield	148,906
62	Telford	147,869
63	Dundee	147,599
64	Blackburn	146,410
65	Basildon	144,748
66	Middlesbrough	142,596
67	Bolton	141,220
68	Stockport	138,941
69	Brighton	138,890
70	West Bromwich	135,507
71	Grimsby	134,049
72	Hastings	133,311
73	High Wycombe	133,093
74	Watford	125,596
75	Saint Peters	125,259
76	Burton upon Trent	122,088
77	Colchester	121,748
78	Eastbourne	118,108
79	Exeter	117,652
80	Rotherham	117,507
81	Cheltenham	116,336
82	Lincoln	114,768
83	Chesterfield	112,946
84	Chelmsford	111,400
85	Mendip	109,889
86	Dagenham	108,257
87	Basingstoke	107,531
88	Maidstone	107,516
89	Sutton Coldfield	106,919
90	Bedford	106,829
91	Oldham	104,671
92	Enfield Town	103,859
93	Woking	103,821
94	St Helens	102,444
95	Worcester	101,548
96	Gillingham	101,076
97	Becontree	99,889
98	Worthing	98,999
99	Rochdale	97,439
100	Solihull	96,156
101	Royal Leamington Spa	95,061
102	Romford	94,889
103	Bath	94,671
104	Harlow	94,254
105	Nuneaton	92,587
106	High Peak	92,489
107	Darlington	92,252
108	Southport	91,592
109	Chester	90,413
110	Stevenage	90,121
111	Wembley	89,934
112	Grays	89,644
113	Harrogate	88,949
114	Hartlepool	88,744
115	Londonderry County Borough	87,042
116	Cannock	86,010
117	Hemel Hempstead	85,518
118	St Albans	84,450
119	South Shields	83,544
120	Derry	83,541
121	Weston-super-Mare	82,792
122	Halifax	82,513
123	Redditch	82,142
124	Beckenham	81,889
125	Tamworth	81,853
126	Scunthorpe	79,866
127	Stockton-on-Tees	79,846
128	Wakefield	78,867
129	Carlisle	78,359
130	Gateshead	77,538
131	Lisburn	77,395
132	Fylde	76,389
133	Paisley	76,109
134	Bracknell	75,992
135	Newcastle under Lyme	75,683
136	Battersea	75,540
137	Crewe	75,445
138	Chatham	75,398
139	Hove	75,063
140	Aylesbury	74,637
141	East Kilbride	74,629
142	Canary Wharf	73,279
143	Rugby	73,039
144	Salford	72,639
145	Purley	71,889
146	Guildford	71,762
147	Shrewsbury	71,604
148	Peckham	71,441
149	Barnsley	71,336
150	Lowestoft	70,834
151	Gosport	70,682
152	Southall	69,889
153	Stafford	69,106
154	Royal Tunbridge Wells	68,799
155	Ellesmere Port	67,657
156	Rossendale	67,289
157	Folkestone	66,318
158	Brixton	66,189
159	Wrexham	65,581
160	Torquay	65,277
161	Maidenhead	64,720
162	Kingswood	64,682
163	Taunton	64,510
164	Waterlooville	64,239
165	Macclesfield	63,843
166	Bognor Regis	63,774
167	Newtownabbey	63,749
168	Kettering	63,564
169	Buckley	63,465
170	Great Yarmouth	63,323
171	Runcorn	62,761
172	Ashford	62,676
173	Tonypandy	62,434
174	Scarborough	61,638
175	Widnes	61,353
176	Aldershot	61,228
177	Bury	60,933
178	Barking	60,889
179	Castleford	60,398
180	Hereford	60,304
181	Bangor	60,274
182	Stroud	60,044
183	Margate	60,023
184	Chelsea	59,889
185	Loughborough	59,821
186	Welwyn Garden City	59,799
187	Farnborough	59,791
188	Rhondda	59,339
189	Craigavon	59,125
190	Wallasey	58,683
191	Littlehampton	58,603
192	Bridgend	58,269
193	Bootle	57,680
194	Weymouth	57,580
195	Fareham	57,279
196	Morley	57,274
197	Cheshunt	57,263
198	Kidderminster	56,948
199	Corby	56,699
200	Dartford	56,583
201	Castlereagh	56,568
202	Dewsbury	56,529
203	Livingston	56,459
204	Stourbridge	56,173
205	Sale	55,578
206	Halesowen	55,154
207	Canterbury	55,129
208	South Croydon	55,087
209	Huyton	54,627
210	Barry	54,562
211	Gravesend	54,152
212	Eastleigh	54,114
213	Acton	53,578
214	Washington	53,415
215	Braintree	53,366
216	Hamilton	53,089
217	Brentwood	52,475
218	Esher	52,281
219	Crosby	52,029
220	Reigate	52,012
221	Dunstable	51,862
222	Morecambe	51,533
223	Cumbernauld	51,499
224	Redhill	51,448
225	Horsham	51,361
226	Staines	50,929
227	Batley	50,696
228	Wellingborough	50,466
229	Clacton-on-Sea	50,437
230	Dunfermline	50,269
231	Bletchley	50,082
232	Keighley	50,060
233	Hayes	49,889
234	Paignton	49,775
235	Llanelli	49,480
236	Kirkcaldy	49,349
237	Bromsgrove	49,006
238	Sittingbourne	48,837
239	South Benfleet	48,713
240	Banbury	48,540
241	West Bridgford	48,203
242	Mitcham	48,200
243	Morden	48,122
244	Cwmbran	48,046
245	Long Eaton	47,787
246	Durham	47,674
247	Northwich	47,310
248	Ayr	47,079
249	Perth	47,069
250	Lancaster	47,051
251	Tipton	46,889
252	Inverness	46,759
253	Kilmarnock	46,239
254	Banstead	46,169
255	Neath	46,015
256	King’s Lynn	45,982
257	Winchester	45,963
258	Barrow in Furness	45,754
259	Yeovil	45,673
260	Middleton	45,478
261	Havant	45,463
262	Carshalton	45,414
263	Hinckley	45,138
264	Salisbury	44,637
265	Pontefract	44,599
266	Coatbridge	43,859
267	Sutton in Ashfield	43,801
268	Grantham	43,722
269	Merthyr Tydfil	43,709
270	Great Sankey	43,682
271	Greenock	43,579
272	Ashton-under-Lyne	43,564
273	Leigh	43,515
274	Leatherhead	43,433
275	Letchworth Garden City	43,418
276	Newark on Trent	43,252
277	Worksop	43,141
278	Bury St Edmunds	42,701
279	Kirkby	42,633
280	Wallsend	42,628
281	Redruth	42,579
282	Welling	42,389
283	Christchurch	42,285
284	Andover	42,165
285	Stretford	41,842
286	Dover	41,598
287	Hatfield	41,566
288	Altrincham	41,437
289	Coity	41,241
290	Newburn	41,236
291	Boston	41,229
292	Holloway	41,218
293	Lytham St Annes	41,216
294	Bridgwater	41,165
295	Urmston	41,087
296	Wokingham	41,032
297	Swadlincote	40,849
298	Trowbridge	40,841
299	Prescot	40,778
300	Bexhill-on-Sea	40,367
301	Bloxwich	39,889
302	Ewell	39,883
303	North Shields	39,636
304	Glenrothes	38,989
305	Skelmersdale	38,833
306	Fleet	38,615
307	Abingdon	38,565
308	Tonbridge	38,546
309	Ramsgate	38,513
310	Ilkeston	38,476
311	Coalville	38,134
312	Canvey Island	38,059
313	Surbiton	38,047
314	Whitley Bay	37,944
315	Greenford	37,889
316	Arnold	37,762
317	Houghton-Le-Spring	37,729
318	Bishops Stortford	37,727
319	Leyland	37,503
320	Rushden	37,473
321	Leighton Buzzard	37,358
322	Yeadon	37,268
323	Blyth	37,228
324	Eccles	37,164
325	Redcar	37,092
326	Airdrie	37,019
327	Peterlee	36,904
328	Farnham	36,860
329	Chester-le-Street	36,806
330	Great Malvern	36,659
331	Herne Bay	36,531
332	Wilmslow	36,506
333	Newton Abbot	36,363
334	Stirling	36,329
335	Mangotsfield	36,316
336	Billericay	36,227
337	Chipping Sodbury	35,997
338	Hitchin	35,988
339	Walkden	35,826
340	Tyldesley	35,821
341	Chippenham	35,689
342	Billingham	35,597
343	Pontypool	35,575
344	Accrington	35,207
345	Falkirk	35,199
346	Briton Ferry	35,068
347	Hoddesdon	35,063
348	Bridlington	35,043
349	Bentley	34,710
350	Exmouth	34,321
351	Yate	34,295
352	Felling	34,244
353	Colwyn Bay	34,173
354	Radcliffe	34,128
355	Totton	34,058
356	Letchworth	33,844
357	Chorley	33,777
358	Bicester	33,735
359	Haywards Heath	33,734
360	Irvine	33,629
361	Wigston Magna	33,609
362	Wednesfield	33,444
363	Strood	33,270
364	Windsor	33,237
365	Dumfries	33,169
366	Glossop	33,132
367	Cramlington	33,069
368	Pudsey	32,998
369	Ebbw Vale	32,957
370	Newbury	32,954
371	Wickford	32,864
372	Lichfield	32,766
373	Brighouse	32,761
374	Darwen	32,455
375	Wisbech	32,378
376	Aston	32,175
377	Borehamwood	32,065
378	Prestwich	32,014
379	Motherwell	32,009
380	Cleethorpes	31,906
381	Deeside	31,889
382	Shirley	31,889
383	Lower Earley	31,889
384	Falmouth	31,877
385	Hyde	31,815
386	Chichester	31,543
387	Barnstaple	31,505
388	Spalding	31,477
389	Rutherglen	31,069
390	Thornton-Cleveleys	31,046
391	Aberdare	31,024
392	Caerphilly	30,949
393	Ruislip	30,889
394	Saint Neots	30,700
395	Burgess Hill	30,524
396	Beverley	30,476
397	Deal	30,444
398	Wishaw	30,399
399	Pontypridd	30,309
400	Winsford	30,148

Population trends

The population of Britain at the end of the 1000s stood at 2 million, and in the following centuries there was modest growth. Around the year 1700 the population was only 5.5 million. In the 18th century, however, there was a significant increase in growth, which was primarily due to reduced mortality in the population. The population was doubled from 1700 to 1801.

Despite an extensive emigration to other parts of the world in the 1800s, increased growth and entailed a new doubling in population to 22.3 million in 1851. In 1921 reached its population of 44 million.

Settlement Pattern

Early industrialization in the United Kingdom created significant urbanization all in the 19th century. Even before the turn of the last century, three-quarters of the population lived in the cities. Urbanization primarily took place in the coal districts of the Northeast, as well as in Lancashire, Midlands, South Wales and London. After World War I, several of the older industrial areas were hit by setbacks, and population growth was largely limited to the Midlands and the south-west and south-east parts of England. A special feature of urban development in Britain after the Second World War is the so-called new towns, new cities, which, under state auspices, travel far from the old city centers. Due to large differences in topography and urbanization, the population density in the different parts of the country varies greatly.

The most densely populated are England’s north-west areas with population center of gravity in Manchester – Liverpool, and in the south-east with London as the main center, while the northern part of Scotland is thinnest.

Largest cities (2017 figures) are London with 8,768,000 residents, Birmingham with 1,223,000, Leeds with 801,660, Glasgow with 608,543, Sheffield with 576,664, Bradford with 532,256, Manchester with 531,357, Edinburgh with 500,364 and Liverpool with 489 541 residents.

Immigration and ethnic issues

The UK population is composed; Both Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Scandinavians, Normans and others have immigrated to the country over time and made a mark on the population in terms of origin, linguistic and cultural. The Celts were early driven west and north by Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Jutans, who invaded Britain in the 400-500s.

In the 1930s, a large number of European refugees came to Britain, and in 1957–1962 a large number of immigrants from Commonwealth countries. This immigration was greatly reduced primarily as a result of new immigration laws in 1962 and 1968. Since the 1990s, immigration and emigration have been roughly in balance. The largest emigration has been to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and EU countries.

In the 2011 census, 87.1 percent of the population considered themselves white, 6.9 percent as Asian, 3.0 percent as dark-skinned, and 2 percent as mixed.

Religion

59 percent of the population in the UK and Northern Ireland are considered Christians (2011). The Anglican Church of England and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland are established churches. In addition to the established churches as well as the Catholic church, there are a number of free churches and other faith communities. About 28 percent are considered non-religious.

The Anglican Communion

The Church of England is the mother church in Anglican society and the largest church in the United Kingdom. Only confirmations are considered members. However, studies indicate that more than half of the population in England consider themselves Anglicans.

England is divided into two ecclesiastical provinces under the Archbishops of Canterbury and York; the first being the primas of the English Church. Laymen attend parish councils and are represented, among others, in the administrative and legislative General Synod. In recent years, many Anglican churches have been under charismatic influence. See also the article on the Anglican Church.

Wales has been a separate church district since the state church was abolished in 1920 and the four Welsh dioceses were separated from the province of Canterbury. The Anglican Church is divided into six dioceses and has a population support of nearly 100,000.

The Church of Ireland has a membership of about 280,000. The church, which was a state church from the 16th century to 1871, is divided into two church districts (Armagh and Dublin) and twelve dioceses. For the contradictions and conflicts between Protestants and Catholics, see the article on Northern Ireland.

The Episcopal Church of Scotland is divided into seven dioceses and has a support of about one percent of the population.

Church of Scotland

The Church of Scotland is a Presbyterian and has a support of around 32 percent of the population (2011). Christianity was introduced along the west coast of Scotland as early as the 400th century by missionaries from Ireland. In the Middle Ages, the church played an active role in the struggle to preserve national independence from England. The Reformation came to Scotland in Calvinistic form, led by John Knox (1505–1572). In 1560, the Scottish Parliament decided that the Reformed Church should be a state religion, and the Catholic Church was banned. The Reformed Church, with Presbyterian constitution, has since been dominant in Scotland.

After the union with England in 1707, the church continued to play an important role in asserting Scottish identity. The British government’s implementation of the patronage right, the right to appoint priests, led to strong opposition and formation of free churches. However, through legislative changes in 1921 and 1925, the Reformed State Church gained autonomy, and in 1929 it was united with most Free Churches of the Church of Scotland.

The Catholic Church

The Catholic Church has nearly six million members in the United Kingdom. In England and Wales, eight percent of the population is registered as members, in Northern Ireland around 38 percent and in Scotland just under 20 percent.

With the Reformation in the 16th century, the Catholic Church did not disappear completely. Many Catholics continued to practice their faith more or less secretly, supported by priests who received education on the continent. Some died in their faith. The most famous of these are Thomas More and John Fisher. Catholics were to a varying degree discriminated against by legislation, but from 1829 it can be assumed that they were equated with other citizens.

Free Churches

The Free Churches are dominated by the Methodist Church, which has approximately 380,000 practicing members. However, over one million count as Methodists. The movement was started by John Wesley in England in 1729. The revival led to the formation of several separate denominations, which first came together in 1932 to establish the Methodist Church in the United Kingdom.

The Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland, established in England in 1813, comprises around 155,000 members. But there are also several other Baptist communities, some of them quite small.

The United Reformed Church with over 100,000 members was formed in 1972 when Congregationalists and Presbyterians joined. In 1981 it was also endorsed by The Reformed Association of the Churches of Christ.

The Salvation Army (Salvation Army) was founded by William Booth in England in 1865, and has approximately 65,000 members. The Pentecostals make up about 200,000.

Other marginal groups are Jehovah’s Witnesses, Quakers, Mormons, Spiritualists, Christian Science, and Unitarian. Also, in London there are groups rooted in mainland Europe’s major churches, including Greek Orthodox, Reformed and Lutheran, such as a Norwegian sailor’s church.

The British Council of Churches encompasses all the more traditional denominations that work on five areas of work: relief work, mission, ecumenics, community work, and international cooperation. A number of younger free churches have a similar cooperative body. They are both members of the World Council of Churches.

Other faiths

Around 1.7 percent of the population are Muslims, and there are around 1000 mosques in the UK. There is no central organization, but the London Central Mosque acts as an Islamic cultural center and has great influence.

In the UK and Northern Ireland there are also around 400,000 Sikhs, 360,000 Hindus, 285,000 Jews and 25,000 Buddhists, as well as some small West Indian and African churches.

Language

English is the official language and the dominant language in the United Kingdom. In Scotland, around 66,000 Scottish-Gaelic are native speakers, and in Wales about half a million Welsh are native speakers. Most of these are bilingual.

Many languages ​​have been spoken and written in the British Isles over the centuries. From the pre-English era, you know poetic, a non- Indo-European language that held up to 900 or even furthest in the north. British and Gaelic, the two main types of Celtic languages, are today represented by Welsh in Wales, Scottish-Gaelic in Scotland and Irish in Northern Ireland. Popular forms of Latin must have been used in the Roman province of Britannia, but it was primarily the language of the learned and the most important written language throughout the Middle Ages that the Latin left its mark.

The Anglo-Saxons who immigrated in the 400s and 500s brought with them the West German dialects which later developed into English language. The development of the English was decisively influenced by the language of later immigrants: Nordic by Danish and Norwegian settlements from the 800- to 1000-century, and Anglo-French in the period following the Norman invasion in 1066.