In 2023, the population of the United Kingdom reached 68.3 million, compared with 67.6 million in 2022. The UK population has more than doubled since 1871 when just under 31.5 million lived in the UK and has grown by around 8.2 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 57.7 million people in 2023. By comparison, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland had populations of 5.44 million, 3.13 million, and 1.9 million, respectively. Within England, South East England had the largest population, at over 9.38 million, followed by the UK's vast capital city of London, at 8.8 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.

Key information about United Kingdom population

• The United Kingdom population reached 68.3 million people in Dec 2023, compared with the previously reported figure of 67.6 million people in Dec 2022
• The data reached an all-time high of 68.3 million people in Dec 2023 and a record low of 48.9 million people in Dec 1946

CEIC shifts year-end for annual Population. The Office for National Statistics provides annual mid-year Population ending the second quarter of each year.


Further information about United Kingdom population data

• In the latest reports, United Kingdom Unemployment Rate dropped to 3.9 % in Oct 2023
• Monthly earnings of the United Kingdom population was 3,547.0 USD in Jul 2024
• United Kingdom Labour Force Participation Rate dropped to 62.8 % in Oct 2023

United Kingdom Population: Mid Year data was reported at 68,265.209 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 67,602.761 Person th for 2022. United Kingdom Population: Mid Year data is updated yearly, averaging 56,481.500 Person th from Jun 1946 (Median) to 2023, with 78 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 68,265.209 Person th in 2023 and a record low of 48,939.000 Person th in 1946. United Kingdom Population: Mid Year data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office for National Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.G001: Population. International Monetary Fund reports only Mid Year population.

In 2023, the population of the United Kingdom was around 68.3 million, with approximately 34.5 million women and 33.1 million men. Since 1953, the male population of the UK has grown by around 9.1 million, while the female population has increased by approximately 8.5 million. Throughout this provided time period, the female population of the UK has consistently outnumbered the male population. UK population one of the largest in Europe As of 2022, the population of the United Kingdom was the largest it has ever been, and with growth expected to continue, the forecasted population of the United Kingdom is expected to reach over 70 million by the 2030s. Despite the relatively small size of its territory, the UK has one of the largest populations among European countries, slightly larger than France but smaller than Russia and Germany. As of 2022, the population density of the UK was approximately 279 people per square kilometer, with London by far the most densely populated area, and Scotland the most sparsely populated. Dominance of London As seen in the data regarding population density, the population of the United Kingdom is not evenly distributed across the country. Within England, London has a population of almost nine million, making it significantly bigger than the next largest cities of Birmingham and Manchester. As of 2022, Scotland's largest city, Glasgow had a population of around 1.7 million, with the largest cities in Northern Ireland, and Wales being Belfast and Cardiff, which had populations of 643,000 and 488,000 respectively.

In 2023, there were approximately 14.69 million millennials in the United Kingdom, making it the largest generational cohort at that time. Millennials surpassed the Baby Boomer generation as the largest generation for the first time in 2019. The two youngest generations, Gen Z and Gen Alpha, numbered approximately 13.2 million, and 8.3 million respectively. Gen X are, as of the most recent year, the second-largest generation in the UK at 14.04 million people, with their parent's generation, the Silent Generation, numbering around 4.3 million people in the same year. There were estimated to be 85,920 people who belonged to the Greatest Generation, the parents of the Baby Boomer generation, who lived through major events such as the Great Depression and World War Two. Post-War Baby Boom The baby boomer generation was the largest generation for much of this period due to the spike in births that happened after the Second World War. In 1947 for example, there were over one million live births in the United Kingdom, compared with just 657,038 live births just thirty years later in 1977. Members of this generation are typically the parents of millennials, and were the driving force behind the countercultural movement of the 1960s, due to their large numbers relative to older generations at the time. The next generational cohort after Boomers are Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980. This generation had fewer members than the Boomer generation for most of its existence, and only became larger than it in 2021. Millennials and Gen Z As of 2022, the most common single year of age in the United Kingdom in 2020 was 34, with approximately 944,491 people this age. Furthermore, people aged between 30 and 34 were the most numerous age group in this year, at approximately 4.67 million people. As of 2022, people in this age group were Millennials, the large generation who came of age in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Many members of this generation entered the workforce following the 2008 financial crash, and suffered through high levels of unemployment during the early 2010s. The generation that followed Millennials, Generation Z, have also experienced tough socio-economic conditions recently, with key formative years dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and an increasingly unstable geopolitical situation.

As of 2023, there were approximately 13.57 million members of the Baby Boomer generation in the United Kingdom, ranging from the ages of 59 to 77. The most-common single year of age for Baby Boomers in this year was 59, at 915,735, while there were 521,896 who were 77, the least common year of age.

This statistic shows the distribution of elderly population (aged 65 and over) as a share of population in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1976 to 2046. Over this 70 year period the share of elderly people within the population of the UK is expected to increase by over 10 percent, reaching 24.7 percent of the forecast total population of 2046.

United Kingdom UK: Refugee Population: by Country or Territory of Asylum data was reported at 118,913.000 Person in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 123,067.000 Person for 2015. United Kingdom UK: Refugee Population: by Country or Territory of Asylum data is updated yearly, averaging 148,922.000 Person from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2016, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 303,181.000 Person in 2005 and a record low of 43,371.000 Person in 1991. United Kingdom UK: Refugee Population: by Country or Territory of Asylum data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Refugees are people who are recognized as refugees under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol, the 1969 Organization of African Unity Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, people recognized as refugees in accordance with the UNHCR statute, people granted refugee-like humanitarian status, and people provided temporary protection. Asylum seekers--people who have applied for asylum or refugee status and who have not yet received a decision or who are registered as asylum seekers--are excluded. Palestinian refugees are people (and their descendants) whose residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948 and who lost their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict. Country of asylum is the country where an asylum claim was filed and granted.; ; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Statistics Database, Statistical Yearbook and data files, complemented by statistics on Palestinian refugees under the mandate of the UNRWA as published on its website. Data from UNHCR are available online at: www.unhcr.org/en-us/figures-at-a-glance.html.; Sum;

We obtained newly-generated genome-wide DNA methylation profiles from whole blood in 240 individuals from the TwinsUK cohort. DNA methylation levels were profiled at 38-86 years of age using the Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip.

Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation are key regulators of gene function. Epigenetic signals are malleable and can change in response to internal and external stimuli. The epigenome thereby provides a mechanism of interaction between the genome with the environment, and we hypothesize that early life stimuli and exposures over the life course leave an epigenetic mark. The proposal will explore DNA methylation in 4,024 samples from four British cohort studies (the MRC National Survey for Health and Development (NSHD) or 1946 birth cohort, the National Child Development Study (NCDS) or 1958 birth cohort, the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70), and the TwinsUK cohort (TwinsUK)) in order to identify epigenetic signatures of early life experience and exposure to social, environmental, and biological stimuli over the life course, linking findings to changes in physical and cognitive function during ageing. Each study captures a range of early life experiences, longitudinal health measures and lifestyle questionnaire data from adult life, DNA samples collected at single or multiple time-points, and in a sample subset, multiple genomic data for follow-up analyses. The primary research design is a prospective analysis of longitudinal data across 2,336 blood and 1,688 buccal samples from the four cohorts. The first aim of the research will be to establish whether biological, environmental, and social stimuli in early life and over the life course result in detectable differences in DNA methylation profiles in adults. We will consider whether there are epigenetic associations with a number of factors including biological, environmental and social factors in utero and in early childhood (e.g. birthweight, childhood growth, maternal smoking during pregnancy, nutrition, parental socioeconomic position), and in later life: (e.g. smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, diet, stressful events, adult socioeconomic position). The second aim is to assess whether there are differences between cohorts in DNA methylation patterns, comparing samples containing individuals born in different years (1946, 1958 and 1970), accounting for age, since these may reflect differences between cohorts in environmental and social influences in early life. Our third aim is to explore the role of epigenetics in healthy functional ageing by applying a two-fold approach. First, we will compare epigenetic signatures to longitudinal functional health trajectories throughout life across cohorts, across cell types (blood and buccal), and across different age categories. We will explore whether DNA methylation signatures of early life experiences can mediate functional ageing trajectories (such as cardiovascular, lung and cognitive function), and whether they can be reversed in response to social and environmental exposures in later life. Our fourth aim is to apply a new approach to estimate biological age, the epigenetic clock, to assess the rate of epigenetic ageing and relate it to early life stimuli and longitudinal biomedical, social, and environmental trajectories. Additional analyses in subsamples will include DNA methylation profiling at multiple time-points to estimate reversibility of DNA methylation, cross-tissue comparison across blood, buccal, and additional tissues, and gene expression analysis for functional interpretation. Replication will be pursued in 3,970 samples from four independent UK-population-based cohorts.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner. The aim of the study was: (1) to generate six area specific data files from the SCELI study for a competing risk model of labour market mobility; (2) to generate a data file which matches the census data with other sources and to connect this to the work history data in (1) above; (3) to estimate and interpret a competing risk model of labour market mobility; (4) to test the study area effect for exogeneity. Main Topics: Unemployment rates and active rates by year and area and gender.

In 2021 the live birth rate of the United Kingdom fell to 10.4 births per 1,000 population, the lowest it had been during this time period. The UK's birth rate has been declining steadily since 2010 when the birth rate was 12.9 births per 1,000 population. After 1938, the year with the highest birth rate in the UK was 1947, when the crude birth rate was 21.2 births per 1,000 population. Under two children per mother in 2021 The most recent crude live birth rate for this statistic is based on the 694,685 births, that occurred in 2021 as well as the mid-year population estimate of 67 million for the United Kingdom. It has a close relation to the fertility rate which estimates the average number of children women are expected to have in their lifetime, which was 1.53 in this reporting year. Among the constituent countries of the UK, Northern Ireland had the highest birth rate at 11.6, followed by England at 10.5, Wales at 9.3, and Scotland at 8.7. International comparisons The UK is not alone in seeing its birth and fertility rates decline dramatically in recent decades. Across the globe, fertility rates have fallen noticeably since the 1960s, with the fertility rate for Asia, Europe, and the Americas being below two in 2021. As of this year, the global fertility rate was 2.31, and was by far the highest in Africa, which had a fertility rate of 4.12, although this too has fallen from a high of 6.72 in the late 1960s. A reduction in infant mortality, as well as better access to contraception, are factors that have typically influenced declining fertility rates recently.

The population of Europe was estimated to be 742.2 million in 2023, an increase of around 2.2 million when compared with 2013. Over 35 years between 1950 and 1985, the population of Europe grew by approximately 157.8 million. But 35 years after 1985 it was estimated to have only increased by around 38.7 million. Since the 1960s, population growth in Europe has fallen quite significantly and was even negative during the mid-1990s. While population growth has increased slightly since the low of -0.07 percent in 1998, the growth rate for 2020 was just 0.04 percent.

Which European country has the biggest population? As of 2021, the population of Russia was estimated to be approximately 145.9 million and was by far Europe's largest country in terms of population, with Turkey being the second-largest at over 85 million. While these two countries both have territory in Europe, however, they are both only partially in Europe, with the majority of their landmasses being in Asia. In terms of countries wholly located on the European continent, Germany had the highest population at 83.9 million, and was followed by the United Kingdom and France at 68.2 million and 65.4 million respectively.

Characteristics of Europe's population There are approximately 386.5 million females in Europe, compared with 361.2 million males, a difference of around 25 million. In 1950, however, the male population has grown faster than the female one, with the male population growing by 104.7 million, and the female one by 93.6 million. As of 2021, the single year of age with the highest population was 34, at 10.7 million, while in the same year there were estimated to be around 136 thousand people aged 100 or over.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The purpose of the project was to provide machine-readable economic and social history statistics relating to the whole of Ireland for the period 1821-1971. Further information about the project is available on the QUB Centre for Data Digitisation and Analysis website.


Main Topics:

The dataset contains population census data covering population, housing, religion, birthplaces, language, occupations, age structures, conjugal status and family structure. All the relevant background material is incorporated either in the documentation files or in the scanned images of the tables of contents, prefaces, and notes in the original source. The main population census tables are:

Total population grouped by county districts and gender (1881-1971).

Total number of buildings, classified as either inhabited buildings, uninhabited buildings, or buildings under construction grouped by county districts. Also includes the area and valuation of each county district (1881-1971).

Total number of Roman Catholics, Church of Ireland members, Presbyterians, Methodists and others grouped by county districts and gender (1926-1971).

Total number of Roman Catholics, Church of Ireland members and others grouped by counties, gender and age groups (1926-1971).

Total numbers born in each county grouped by county of residence and gender (1901-1971) Republic of Ireland only.

Total numbers born in each province grouped by county districts of residence and gender (1926-1936) Republic of Ireland only

Total numbers born in each county district grouped by county of residence and gender (1926-1971) Northern Ireland only.

Irish/English speakers and English only speakers grouped by county districts (1926-1971) Republic of Ireland only.

Occupations grouped by counties and gender (1926-1971).

Total number of persons in each age group grouped by county districts and gender (1901-1971).

Total number of married, single and widowed people grouped by county districts, age groups and gender (1926-1971).

Total number of families grouped by duration of marriage, husband's age at marriage, wife's age at marriage and number of children born (1946, 1961 and 1971) Republic of Ireland only.

Total number of families grouped by counties, duration of marriage, wife's age at marriage and number of children born (1946, 1961 and 1971) Republic of Ireland only.

Total number of families grouped by religious affiliation, duration of marriage, wife's age at marriage and number of children born (1946, 1961 and 1971) Republic of Ireland only.

Total number of dependent children grouped by counties, number of children in family and parent's marital status, gender and age (1926 and 1946) Republic of Ireland only.

Please note: this study does not include information on named individuals and would therefore not be useful for personal family history research.

Annual live births in England and Wales by age of mother and father, type of registration, median interval between births, number of previous live-born children and National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC).

Großbritanniens Bevölkerung belief sich im 2023 auf 68.3 Person mn. Dies stellt einen Anstieg im Vergleich zu den vorherigen Zahlen von 67.6 Person mn für 2022 dar. Großbritanniens Bevölkerung werden jährlich aktualisiert, mit einem Durchschnitt von 56.5 Person mn von 1946 bis 2023, mit 78 Beobachtungen. Die Daten erreichten ein Allzeithoch in Höhe von 68.3 Person mn im 2023 und ein Rekordtief in Höhe von 48.9 Person mn im 1946. Großbritanniens Bevölkerung Daten behalten den Aktiv-Status in CEIC und werden von CEIC Data gemeldet. Die Daten werden unter World Trend Pluss Global Economic Monitor – Table: Population: Annual kategorisiert.

Among nations of the UK, Northern Ireland had the highest number of live births per 1,000 in 2021, at 11.6, followed by England at 10.5, Wales at 9.3, and Scotland at 8.7. The crude birth has fallen for all nations of the UK when compared with 1971, while Northern Ireland has consistently had the highest number of live births per 1,000 people. Long-term birth trends After reaching a postwar peak of 18.8 births per 1,000 people, the UK's crude birth rate has declined considerably, falling to a low of just 11 births per 1,000 people in 2020. In that year, there were just 681,560 live births, compared with over one million in 1964. Additionally, the average age of mothers in the UK has been steadily increasing since the mid-1970s. In 1975, for example, the average age at which mothers gave birth was 26.4 years, compared with 30.9 in 2021. Millennials overtake Boomers as largest generation Due to the large number of births that happened in the years following the Second World War, the generation born during this time were called Baby Boomers, and until 2020 were the largest generation in the UK. Since that year, the Millennial generation, born between 1981 and 1996 have been the largest generational cohort. In 2022, there were approximately 14.48 million Millennials, 14.14 million Generation X members (born between 1965 and 1980) and around 13.8 million Baby Boomers. Generation Z, the generation immediately after Millennials, numbered approximately 12.9 million in 2022.

人口：年中在06-01-2023达68,265.209千人，相较于06-01-2022的67,602.761千人有所增长。人口：年中数据按年更新，06-01-1946至06-01-2023期间平均值为56,481.500千人，共78份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于06-01-2023，达68,265.209千人，而历史最低值则出现于06-01-1946，为48,939.000千人。CEIC提供的人口：年中数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于Office for National Statistics，数据归类于全球数据库的英国 – Table UK.G001: Population。

There were 694,685 live births recorded in the United Kingdom in 2021, compared with 681,560 in the previous year. Between 1887 and 2021 the year with the highest number of live births was 1920 when there were approximately 1.13 million births, while the year with the fewest births was 1977, when there were just 657,038 births. Birth rate at a historic low in 2020 At 10.2 births per 1,000 people, the birth rate of the United Kingdom in 2020 was at a historic low. After witnessing a twenty-first century high of 12.9 in 2010, the birth rate gradually declined before a sharp decrease was recorded between 2012 and 2013. Although there was a slight uptick in the birth rate in 2021, when there were 10.4 births per 1,000 people, the total fertility rate reached a low of 1.53 births per woman in the same year. As well as falling birth and fertility rates, the average age of mothers has been increasing. In 1991, the average age of mothers at childbirth was 27.7 years, compared with 30.9 years in 2021. UK population reaches 67 million In 2022, the overall population of the United Kingdom was almost 67.6 million people. Of the four countries that comprise the UK, England has by far the highest population, at 57.1 million, compared with 5.45 million in Scotland, 3.13 million in Wales, and 1.91 million in Northern Ireland. These countries are far less densely populated than England, especially when compared to London, which had approximately 5,630 people per square kilometer, compared with just 70 in Scotland. After London, North West England was the second-most densely populated area of the UK, which includes the large metropolitan areas of the cities of Manchester, and Liverpool

Os dados de População do Reino Unido foram registrados em 68.3 Pessoa mn em 2023. Este é um registro de um aumento com relação aos números anteriores de 67.6 Pessoa mn em 2022. Os dados de População do Reino Unido são atualizados anualmente, com uma média de 56.5 Pessoa mn em 1946 até 2023, com 78 observações. Os dados alcançaram um alto recorde de 68.3 Pessoa mn em 2023 e um baixo recorde de 48.9 Pessoa mn em 1946. Os dados de População do Reino Unido permanecem com status ativo na CEIC e são reportados pela fonte: CEIC Data. Os dados são classificados sob o World Trend Plus’ Global Economic Monitor – Table: Population: Annual.

In the past four centuries, the population of the United States has grown from a recorded 350 people around the Jamestown colony of Virginia in 1610, to an estimated 331 million people in 2020. The pre-colonization populations of the indigenous peoples of the Americas have proven difficult for historians to estimate, as their numbers decreased rapidly following the introduction of European diseases (namely smallpox, plague and influenza). Native Americans were also omitted from most censuses conducted before the twentieth century, therefore the actual population of what we now know as the United States would have been much higher than the official census data from before 1800, but it is unclear by how much. Population growth in the colonies throughout the eighteenth century has primarily been attributed to migration from the British Isles and the Transatlantic slave trade; however it is also difficult to assert the ethnic-makeup of the population in these years as accurate migration records were not kept until after the 1820s, at which point the importation of slaves had also been illegalized. Nineteenth century In the year 1800, it is estimated that the population across the present-day United States was around six million people, with the population in the 16 admitted states numbering at 5.3 million. Migration to the United States began to happen on a large scale in the mid-nineteenth century, with the first major waves coming from Ireland, Britain and Germany. In some aspects, this wave of mass migration balanced out the demographic impacts of the American Civil War, which was the deadliest war in U.S. history with approximately 620 thousand fatalities between 1861 and 1865. The civil war also resulted in the emancipation of around four million slaves across the south; many of whose ancestors would take part in the Great Northern Migration in the early 1900s, which saw around six million black Americans migrate away from the south in one of the largest demographic shifts in U.S. history. By the end of the nineteenth century, improvements in transport technology and increasing economic opportunities saw migration to the United States increase further, particularly from southern and Eastern Europe, and in the first decade of the 1900s the number of migrants to the U.S. exceeded one million people in some years. Twentieth and twenty-first century The U.S. population has grown steadily throughout the past 120 years, reaching one hundred million in the 1910s, two hundred million in the 1960s, and three hundred million in 2007. In the past century, the U.S. established itself as a global superpower, with the world's largest economy (by nominal GDP) and most powerful military. Involvement in foreign wars has resulted in over 620,000 further U.S. fatalities since the Civil War, and migration fell drastically during the World Wars and Great Depression; however the population continuously grew in these years as the total fertility rate remained above two births per woman, and life expectancy increased (except during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918).

Since the Second World War, Latin America has replaced Europe as the most common point of origin for migrants, with Hispanic populations growing rapidly across the south and border states. Because of this, the proportion of non-Hispanic whites, which has been the most dominant ethnicity in the U.S. since records began, has dropped more rapidly in recent decades. Ethnic minorities also have a much higher birth rate than non-Hispanic whites, further contributing to this decline, and the share of non-Hispanic whites is expected to fall below fifty percent of the U.S. population by the mid-2000s. In 2020, the United States has the third-largest population in the world (after China and India), and the population is expected to reach four hundred million in the 2050s.