In 2022, Belfast was the local district that had the highest number of inhabitants in Northern Ireland, with an estimated population of 348,000, followed by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon which had approximately 220,000 people living there in this year.

National and subnational mid-year population estimates for the UK and its constituent countries by administrative area, age and sex (including components of population change, median age and population density).

The population of the United Kingdom in 2023 was estimated to be approximately 68.3 million in 2023, with almost 9.48 million people living in South East England. London had the next highest population, at over 8.9 million people, followed by the North West England at 7.6 million. With the UK's population generally concentrated in England, most English regions have larger populations than the constituent countries of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, which had populations of 5.5 million, 3.16 million, and 1.92 million respectively. English counties and cities The United Kingdom is a patchwork of various regional units, within England the largest of these are the regions shown here, which show how London, along with the rest of South East England had around 18 million people living there in this year. The next significant regional units in England are the 47 metropolitan and ceremonial counties. After London, the metropolitan counties of the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, and West Yorkshire were the biggest of these counties, due to covering the large urban areas of Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds respectively. Regional divisions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland The smaller countries that comprise the United Kingdom each have different local subdivisions. Within Scotland these are called council areas whereas in Wales the main regional units are called unitary authorities. Scotland's largest Council Area by population is that of Glasgow City at over 622,000, while in Wales, it was the Cardiff Unitary Authority at around 372,000. Northern Ireland, on the other hand, has eleven local government districts, the largest of which is Belfast with a population of around 348,000.

As of 2023, the population density in London was by far the highest number of people per square km in the UK, at 5,690. Of the other regions and countries which constitute the United Kingdom, North West England was the next most densely populated area at 533 people per square kilometer. Scotland, by contrast, is the most sparsely populated country or region in the United Kingdom, with only 70 people per square kilometer. UK population over 67 million According to the official mid-year population estimate, the population of the United Kingdom was just almost 67.6 million in 2022. Most of the population lived in England, where an estimated 57.1 million people resided, followed by Scotland at 5.44 million, Wales at 3.13 million and finally Northern Ireland at just over 1.9 million. Within England, the South East was the region with the highest population at almost 9.38 million, followed by the London region at around 8.8 million. In terms of urban areas, Greater London is the largest city in the United Kingdom, followed by Greater Manchester and Birmingham in the North West and West Midlands regions of England. London calling London's huge size in relation to other UK cities is also reflected by its economic performance. In 2021, London's GDP was approximately 494 billion British pounds, almost a quarter of UK GDP overall. In terms of GDP per capita, Londoners had a GDP per head of 56,431 pounds, compared with an average of 33,224 for the country as a whole. Productivity, expressed as by output per hour worked, was also far higher in London than the rest of the country. In 2021, London was around 33.2 percent more productive than the rest of the country, with South East England the only other region where productivity was higher than the national average.

In 2023, almost nine million people lived in Greater London, making it the most populated ceremonial county in England. The West Midlands Metropolitan County, which contains the large city of Birmingham, was the second-largest county at 2.98 million inhabitants, followed by Greater Manchester and then West Yorkshire with populations of 2.95 million and 2.4 million, respectively. Kent, Essex, and Hampshire were the three next-largest counties in terms of population, each with around 1.89 million people. A patchwork of regions England is just one of the four countries that compose the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with England, Scotland and Wales making up Great Britain. England is therefore not to be confused with Great Britain or the United Kingdom as a whole. Within England, the next subdivisions are the nine regions of England, containing various smaller units such as unitary authorities, metropolitan counties and non-metropolitan districts. The counties in this statistic, however, are based on the ceremonial counties of England as defined by the Lieutenancies Act of 1997. Regions of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland Like England, the other countries of the United Kingdom have their own regional subdivisions, although with some different terminology. Scotland’s subdivisions are council areas, while Wales has unitary authorities, and Northern Ireland has local government districts. As of 2022, the most-populated Scottish council area was Glasgow City, with over 622,000 inhabitants. In Wales, Cardiff had the largest population among its unitary authorities, and in Northern Ireland, Belfast was the local government area with the most people living there.

London was by far the most visited city by international tourists in the United Kingdom in 2023. That year, inbound visits to the UK's capital totaled just over 20 million, staying roughly seven percent lower than in 2019, prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Edinburgh and Manchester followed in the ranking, reporting around 2.3 million and 1.7 million visits, respectively. Overall, the number of inbound visits to the UK reached 38 million in 2023 but remained below pre-pandemic levels. What is the leading tourist attraction in London? Tourists visit London for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is its attractions. In 2023, the British Museum was London’s most visited tourist attraction, drawing in approximately 5.8 million visitors. The Natural History Museum in South Kensington and the Tate Modern came next in the ranking, with about 5.7 and 4.7 million visitors, respectively. While attendance at many of London’s top tourist attractions saw a significant increase in 2023 compared to the previous year, attendance generally remained below pre-pandemic levels. What is the leading region for summer staycations in the UK? A 'staycation' typically refers to a holiday spent in one's home country rather than abroad. It can also refer to a holiday spent at home involving day trips to local attractions. The leading region for summer staycations in the UK, according to an April 2024 survey, was the South West. Meanwhile, 12 percent of respondents said that they intended to visit Scotland during their summer holiday while only three percent stated that they would like to visit Northern Ireland. London came second in the ranking.

In 2020, the population of the United Kingdom was estimated to have grown by approximately 0.4 percent, with the population growing fastest in the South West and East Midlands, which reported growth rates of 0.6 percent in this year. By contrast, growth in Northern Ireland and Scotland was below the UK average, at just 0.1 percent and zero percent, respectively. Four countries of the UK Within the UK, South East England had the highest population of the regions that comprise the United Kingdom, at more than 9.37 million people. In terms of the four countries of the UK, England had by far the highest population at over 57.7 million people, compared with Scotland (5.5 million) Wales (3.13 million) and Northern Ireland (1.9 million people) which have comparatively smaller populations. Largest cities in the UK With 8.9 million people living there, London is one of the most heavily population regions of the UK, and by far the largest city. Other large cities in the UK include West Midlands urban area, centered around the city of Birmingham at 2.95 million people, along with Greater Manchester at 2.91 million, with these two cities generally considered as the main contenders for being the country's second-city.

In the Brexit referendum of 2016, almost three quarters of people who lived in Edinburgh voted to remain in the European Union. Several other major cities also had a majority of remain voters, including the English cities of London, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Leeds. In the UK’s second-largest city, Birmingham, a slight majority of people voted to leave the European Union. Across the whole of the United Kingdom, the leave side was victorious after winning the votes of 17.4 million people. Perceptions on Brexit in 2025 Since the UK left the EU in 2020, the share of people who regret Brexit has been steadily increasing. As of January 2025, 55 percent of people in Great Britain thought that Brexit was the wrong decision, compared with 30 percent who still supported the decision. Furthermore, a survey from the same month suggested that people thought Brexit had reaped few benefits. Approximately 67 percent of those surveyed thought that it had negatively impacted the cost of living, and 65 percent believing it had diminished the UK economy as a whole. By contrast, the main positive impact of Brexit was seen as the UK's control over its own laws. Demographics of Brexit voters Although several major English cities supported the UK remaining in the EU, every English region, with the exception of Greater London, voted for Brexit. While Wales also supported leave, both Scotland and Northern Ireland had a majority who supported remain. There were also noticeable divisions across age groups, with younger voters typically more likely to vote against Brexit, compared with older ones who supported it. Almost three-quarter of 18 to 24-year-olds voted Remain, compared with 60 percent of those aged 65 or over who backed Leave.

The average household size in London was 2.57 people per household in 2023, compared with the UK average of 2.36 people per household.

As of 2019, Glasgow had the largest warehouses space of any city in the United Kingdom, with 4.76 million square feet of space available. London did not rank among the UK cities with the most retail warehousing in 2019, unlike the capital cities of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Indeed, most of the logistics property in England was found in either the North West, like in Manchester or Liverpool, or in the Midlands, such as in Birmingham or Nottingham. In the United Kingdom, this referred to as the “Golden Triangle” at the center of the country. However, the absence of London from this list is likely due to the multiple municipal divisions within Greater London, with any single municipal area not having sufficient warehouse space to make the list on its own.