The population of the United Kingdom in 2022 was estimated to be approximately 67.6 million in 2022, with almost 9.38 million of these people living in South East England. London had the next highest population, at 8.86 million people, followed by the North West England at 7.5 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 5.4 million, 3.1 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 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.
Population of the United Kingdom in 2022, by region
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Office for National Statistics (UK). (March 26, 2024). Population of the United Kingdom in 2022, by region [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 20, 2024, from https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/294729/uk-population-by-region/
Office for National Statistics (UK). "Population of the United Kingdom in 2022, by region ." Chart. March 26, 2024. Statista. Accessed September 20, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/294729/uk-population-by-region/
Office for National Statistics (UK). (2024). Population of the United Kingdom in 2022, by region . Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: September 20, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/294729/uk-population-by-region/
Office for National Statistics (UK). "Population of The United Kingdom in 2022, by Region ." Statista, Statista Inc., 26 Mar 2024, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/294729/uk-population-by-region/
Office for National Statistics (UK), Population of the United Kingdom in 2022, by region Statista, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/294729/uk-population-by-region/ (last visited September 20, 2024)
Population of the United Kingdom in 2022, by region [Graph], Office for National Statistics (UK), March 26, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/294729/uk-population-by-region/