In 2024, there were 130,736 people aged between 35 and 39 in Northern Ireland, which was the most of any age group in this year.

The population of Northern Ireland was 1.93 million people in 2024, compared with 1.84 million ten years earlier in 2013. Since 1971, the population of Northern Ireland has increased by approximately 387,500 people.

In 2024, Belfast was the local district which had the highest number of inhabitants in Northern Ireland, with an estimated population of 352,390, followed by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon which had approximately 222,511 people living there in this year.

Description of Data

Notes:

1. The estimates are produced using a variety of data sources and statistical models. Therefore small estimates should not be taken to refer to particular individuals.

2. The migration element of the components of change have been largely derived from a data source which is known to be deficient in recording young adult males and outflows from Northern Ireland. Therefore the estimates are subject to adjustment to account for this and, while deemed acceptable for their use, will not provide definitive numbers of the population in the reported groups/areas. Further information is available in the Limitations section of the statistical bulletin:

NISRA 2024 Mid-year Population Estimates webpage

Time Period

Estimates are provided for mid-2001 to mid-2024.

Methodology

The cohort-component method was used to create the population estimates for 2024. This method updates the Census estimates by 'ageing on' populations and applying information on births, deaths and migration. Further information is available at:

NISRA 2024 Mid-year Population Estimates webpage

Geographic Referencing

Population Estimates are based on a large number of secondary datasets. Where the full address was available, the Pointer Address database was used to allocate a unique property reference number (UPRN) and geo-spatial co-ordinates to each home address. These can then be used to map the address to particular geographies. Where it was not possible to assign a unique property reference number to an address using the Pointer database, or where the secondary dataset contained only postcode information, the Central Postcode Directory was used to map home address postcodes to higher geographies. A small proportion of records with unknown geography were apportioned based on the spatial characteristics of known records.

Further Information

NISRA Mid-year Population Estimates webpage

Contact: NISRA Customer Services 02890 255156 census@nisra.gov.uk Responsible Statistician: Shauna Dunlop

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 2024 was estimated to be approximately 69.3 million, with over 9.6 million people living in South East England. London had the next highest population, at almost 9.1 million people, followed by the North West England at 7.7 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, 3.2 million, and 1.9 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 650,000, while in Wales, it was the Cardiff Unitary Authority at around 384,000. Northern Ireland, on the other hand, has eleven local government districts, the largest of which is Belfast with a population of approxiamtely 352,000.

Description of Data Notes: Net Migration is the difference between inflows and outflows. Inflows = people coming to Northern Ireland to live Outflows = people leaving Northern Ireland to live elsewhere In general the precision of the migration estimates could be considered to be no better than to the nearest 100. The estimates are produced using a variety of data sources and statistical models. Therefore small estimates should not be taken to refer to particular individuals. The migration element of the components of change have been largely derived from a data source which is known to be deficient in recording young adult males and outflows from Northern Ireland. Therefore the estimates are subject to adjustment to account for this and, while deemed acceptable for their use, will not provide definitive numbers of the population in the reported groups/areas. Further information is available in the Limitations section of the statistical bulletin: NISRA 2024 Mid-year Population Estimates webpage Time Period Estimates are provided for mid-2002 to mid-2024. Methodology The cohort-component method was used to create the population estimates for 2022. This method updates the Census estimates by 'ageing on' populations and applying information on births, deaths and migration. Further information is available at: NISRA 2024 Mid-year Population Estimates webpage Geographic Referencing Population Estimates are based on a large number of secondary datasets. Where the full address was available, the Pointer Address database was used to allocate a unique property reference number (UPRN) and geo-spatial co-ordinates to each home address. These can then be used to map the address to particular geographies. Where it was not possible to assign a unique property reference number to an address using the Pointer database, or where the secondary dataset contained only postcode information, the Central Postcode Directory was used to map home address postcodes to higher geographies. A small proportion of records with unknown geography were apportioned based on the spatial characteristics of known records. Further Information NISRA Mid-year Population Estimates webpage Contact: NISRA Customer Services 02890 255156 census@nisra.gov.uk Responsible Statistician: Shauna Dunlop

The total population of Ireland was 5.42 million people in 2024. Between 1980 and 2024, the total population rose by 1.99 million people, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend. The total population will steadily rise by 290,000 people over the period from 2024 to 2030, reflecting a clear upward trend.This indicator describes the total population in the country at hand. This total population of the country consists of all persons falling within the scope of the census.

Estimates of the usual resident population for the UK as at 30 June of the reference year. Provided by administrative area, single year of age and sex.

The UK population was 69.3 million in 2024, with 58.6 million people living in England, by far the most populous constituent country of the UK. In this year, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland had populations of 5.5 million, 3.2 million, and 1.9 million respectively.

In 2024, over 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 just over 3.03 million, closely followed by Greater Manchester at three million, and then West Yorkshire with a population of 2.4 million. Kent, Essex, and Hampshire were the three next-largest counties in terms of population, each with just over 1.9 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 2024, the most-populated Scottish council area was Glasgow City, with over 650,000 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.

Period life expectancy by age and sex for 1980 to 2023 for England, Wales (and combined), Scotland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, and the UK. Each life table is based on population estimates, births and deaths for a single year.

In 2024, the population of the United Kingdom reached 69.3 million, compared with 68.5 million in 2023. The UK population has more than doubled since 1871 when just under 31.5 million lived in the UK and has grown by around 10.4 million since the start of the twenty-first century. For most of the twentieth century, the UK population steadily increased, with two noticeable drops in population occurring during World War One (1914-1918) and in World War Two (1939-1945). Demographic trends in postwar Britain After World War Two, Britain and many other countries in the Western world experienced a 'baby boom,' with a postwar peak of 1.02 million live births in 1947. Although the number of births fell between 1948 and 1955, they increased again between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s, with more than one million people born in 1964. Since 1964, however, the UK birth rate has fallen from 18.8 births per 1,000 people to a low of just 10.2 in 2020. As a result, the UK population has gotten significantly older, with the country's median age increasing from 37.9 years in 2001 to 40.7 years in 2022. What are the most populated areas of the UK? The vast majority of people in the UK live in England, which had a population of 58.6 million people in 2024. By comparison, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland had populations of 5.5 million, 3.2 million, and 1.9 million, respectively. Within England, South East England had the largest population, at over 9.6 million, followed by the UK's vast capital city of London, at almost 9.1 million. London is far larger than any other UK city in terms of urban agglomeration, with just four other cities; Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, and Glasgow, boasting populations that exceed one million people.

There were around 348,400 pupils at schools in Northern Ireland in 2024/25, of which 177,500 were primary school students,156,900 were high school students, with 5,740 pupils at nursery schools, with a further 8,220 at other types of schools such as special schools.

Electoral registrations for parliamentary and local government elections as recorded in electoral registers for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In 2024, the population of the United Kingdom was estimated to have grown by approximately 1.1 percent, with the population growing fastest in North West England, which grew by 1.4 compared with 2023. By contrast, growth in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland was below the UK average, with the population in these countries growing by 0.7 percent, 0.6 percent, and 0.4 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 9.6 million people. In terms of the four countries of the UK, England had by far the highest population at over 58.6 million people, compared with Scotland (5.5 million) Wales (3.2 million) and Northern Ireland (1.9 million) which have comparatively smaller populations. Of these countries, Scotland was the most sparsely populated, with 71 people per square kilometer, compared with 5,782 people per square km in London. Largest cities in the UK With over nine million people living there, London is by some distance the largest city in the UK. Other large cities in the UK include the West Midlands urban area, centered around the city of Birmingham, as well as Greater Manchester in North West England. With similar populations of around three million people, these two cities, generally considered as the main contenders for being England's second-city. In this year, Scotland's largest city was Glasgow, with Cardiff being the biggest settlement in Wales, and Belfast the largest in Northern Ireland.