Historical population data in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Historical population data was 69.50 million Persons in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
69.50 million Persons
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
11th
of 43 countries
All-time high
69.50 million Persons
in 2025
All-time low
50.28 million Persons
in 1951
Years of data
76
1950–2025

Historical population data in United Kingdom, 1950–2025

020.0M40.0M60.0M195019872025

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.

Analysis

United Kingdom recorded 69.50 million Persons for historical population data in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.

The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 6.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, historical population data in United Kingdom peaked at 69.50 million Persons in 2025 and was at its lowest, 50.28 million Persons, in 1951.

That places United Kingdom 11th out of 43 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.

Historical population data in United Kingdom, year by year

Annual values for Historical population data in United Kingdom, 1950 to 2025.
Year Persons Change
1950 50.37 million Persons —
1951 50.28 million Persons -0.2%
1952 50.44 million Persons +0.3%
1953 50.61 million Persons +0.3%
1954 50.78 million Persons +0.3%
1955 50.97 million Persons +0.4%
1956 51.21 million Persons +0.5%
1957 51.46 million Persons +0.5%
1958 51.68 million Persons +0.4%
1959 51.99 million Persons +0.6%
1960 52.45 million Persons +0.9%
1961 52.71 million Persons +0.5%
1962 53.34 million Persons +1.2%
1963 53.68 million Persons +0.6%
1964 54.07 million Persons +0.7%
1965 54.44 million Persons +0.7%
1966 54.65 million Persons +0.4%
1967 54.98 million Persons +0.6%
1968 55.28 million Persons +0.6%
1969 55.53 million Persons +0.5%
1970 55.71 million Persons +0.3%
1971 55.93 million Persons +0.4%
1972 56.10 million Persons +0.3%
1973 56.22 million Persons +0.2%
1974 56.24 million Persons +0.0%
1975 56.23 million Persons -0.0%
1976 56.22 million Persons -0.0%
1977 56.19 million Persons -0.0%
1978 56.18 million Persons -0.0%
1979 56.24 million Persons +0.1%
1980 56.33 million Persons +0.2%
1981 56.36 million Persons +0.0%
1982 56.29 million Persons -0.1%
1983 56.32 million Persons +0.0%
1984 56.41 million Persons +0.2%
1985 56.55 million Persons +0.3%
1986 56.68 million Persons +0.2%
1987 56.80 million Persons +0.2%
1988 56.92 million Persons +0.2%
1989 57.08 million Persons +0.3%
1990 57.24 million Persons +0.3%
1991 57.44 million Persons +0.4%
1992 57.58 million Persons +0.3%
1993 57.71 million Persons +0.2%
1994 57.86 million Persons +0.3%
1995 58.02 million Persons +0.3%
1996 58.16 million Persons +0.2%
1997 58.31 million Persons +0.3%
1998 58.47 million Persons +0.3%
1999 58.68 million Persons +0.4%
2000 58.89 million Persons +0.3%
2001 59.11 million Persons +0.4%
2002 59.37 million Persons +0.4%
2003 59.64 million Persons +0.5%
2004 59.95 million Persons +0.5%
2005 60.41 million Persons +0.8%
2006 60.83 million Persons +0.7%
2007 61.32 million Persons +0.8%
2008 61.82 million Persons +0.8%
2009 62.26 million Persons +0.7%
2010 62.76 million Persons +0.8%
2011 63.29 million Persons +0.8%
2012 63.71 million Persons +0.7%
2013 64.14 million Persons +0.7%
2014 64.62 million Persons +0.7%
2015 65.09 million Persons +0.7%
2016 65.61 million Persons +0.8%
2017 65.96 million Persons +0.5%
2018 66.29 million Persons +0.5%
2019 66.63 million Persons +0.5%
2020 66.74 million Persons +0.2%
2021 66.98 million Persons +0.4%
2022 67.64 million Persons +1.0%
2023 68.53 million Persons +1.3%
2024 69.28 million Persons +1.1%
2025 69.50 million Persons +0.3%

United Kingdom compared with similar countries

  • United Kingdom's 69.50 million Persons is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.48 million Persons, 6.6× the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • United Kingdom's 69.50 million Persons is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10.37 million Persons, 6.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 50.98 million Persons 50.28 million Persons 51.99 million Persons 10
1960s 54.11 million Persons 52.45 million Persons 55.53 million Persons 10
1970s 56.12 million Persons 55.71 million Persons 56.24 million Persons 10
1980s 56.57 million Persons 56.29 million Persons 57.08 million Persons 10
1990s 57.95 million Persons 57.24 million Persons 58.68 million Persons 10
2000s 60.36 million Persons 58.89 million Persons 62.26 million Persons 10
2010s 64.81 million Persons 62.76 million Persons 66.63 million Persons 10
2020s 68.11 million Persons 66.74 million Persons 69.50 million Persons 6

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 8 Latvia 1.85 million Persons compare
  2. 8 Mexico 133.37 million Persons compare
  3. 9 Japan 123.22 million Persons compare
  4. 9 Estonia 1.37 million Persons compare
  5. 10 Germany 83.52 million Persons compare
  6. 12 France 68.97 million Persons compare
  7. 13 South Africa 63.10 million Persons compare
  8. 14 Italy 58.94 million Persons compare

See the full ranking of 56 places →

More population data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is historical population data in United Kingdom?
Historical population data in United Kingdom was 69.50 million Persons in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest historical population data recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 69.50 million Persons in 2025.
What is the lowest historical population data recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 50.28 million Persons in 1951.
How does United Kingdom rank for historical population data?
United Kingdom ranks 11th out of 43 countries with data for 2025.
Is historical population data rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Historical population data. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Historical population data in United Kingdom. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 07 October 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/historical-population-data/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Historical population data
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
56 places, 4,256 data points, 1950–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset presents annual population data from 1961 by sex and five year age groups as well as the share of children, youth, the elderly, old-age and total dependency ratios. The data is available for all member countries as well as for the EU27 and G20 countries, Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa and the World total. The data refer to mid-year estimates of the population. See country details in Historical population metadata.