Population in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Population was 68.68 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
68.68 million people
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
21st
of 236 countries
All-time high
68.68 million people
in 2023
All-time low
50.12 million people
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Population in United Kingdom, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2023, population in United Kingdom stood at 68.68 million people. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in United Kingdom peaked at 68.68 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 50.12 million people, in 1950.
That places United Kingdom 21st out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Population in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 50.12 million people | — |
| 1951 | 50.35 million people | +0.5% |
| 1952 | 50.50 million people | +0.3% |
| 1953 | 50.73 million people | +0.5% |
| 1954 | 50.96 million people | +0.5% |
| 1955 | 51.18 million people | +0.4% |
| 1956 | 51.40 million people | +0.4% |
| 1957 | 51.66 million people | +0.5% |
| 1958 | 51.94 million people | +0.5% |
| 1959 | 52.23 million people | +0.6% |
| 1960 | 52.54 million people | +0.6% |
| 1961 | 52.88 million people | +0.7% |
| 1962 | 53.27 million people | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 53.65 million people | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 54.01 million people | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 54.36 million people | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 54.68 million people | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 54.97 million people | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 55.24 million people | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 55.46 million people | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 55.66 million people | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 55.89 million people | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 56.08 million people | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 56.19 million people | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 56.22 million people | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 56.22 million people | -0.0% |
| 1976 | 56.20 million people | -0.0% |
| 1977 | 56.18 million people | -0.0% |
| 1978 | 56.18 million people | -0.0% |
| 1979 | 56.22 million people | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 56.28 million people | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 56.30 million people | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 56.29 million people | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 56.33 million people | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 56.45 million people | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 56.61 million people | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 56.75 million people | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 56.89 million people | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 57.03 million people | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 57.18 million people | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 57.37 million people | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 57.56 million people | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 57.72 million people | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 57.86 million people | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 58.00 million people | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 58.15 million people | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 58.30 million people | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 58.45 million people | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 58.63 million people | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 58.84 million people | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 59.06 million people | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 59.29 million people | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 59.54 million people | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 59.82 million people | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 60.17 million people | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 60.60 million people | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 61.05 million people | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 61.54 million people | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 62.03 million people | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 62.51 million people | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 63.01 million people | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 63.51 million people | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 63.96 million people | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 64.39 million people | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 64.87 million people | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 65.38 million people | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 65.89 million people | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 66.35 million people | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 66.75 million people | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 67.11 million people | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 67.35 million people | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 67.67 million people | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 68.18 million people | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 68.68 million people | +0.7% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 68.68 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.98 million people, 23.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 68.68 million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6.36 million people, 10.8× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 51.10 million people | 50.12 million people | 52.23 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 54.11 million people | 52.54 million people | 55.46 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 56.10 million people | 55.66 million people | 56.22 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 56.61 million people | 56.28 million people | 57.18 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 58.09 million people | 57.37 million people | 58.84 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.56 million people | 59.06 million people | 62.51 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.12 million people | 63.01 million people | 67.11 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.97 million people | 67.35 million people | 68.68 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More population data for United Kingdom
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.0706 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.1791 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.1389 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.1791 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.2% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 3.21 million people (2100)
- Population density 307.14 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.2% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.169 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.2666 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in United Kingdom?
- Population in United Kingdom was 68.68 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 68.68 million people in 2023.
- What is the lowest population recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.12 million people in 1950.
- How does United Kingdom rank for population?
- United Kingdom ranks 21st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown.