| Demographics of the United Kingdom | |
|---|---|
 Population pyramid in 2021 | |
| Population |  67,596,281 (2022)[1] |
| Density | 279/km2 (720/sq mi) (2022)[1] |
| Growth rate | 0.85% (2022)[2] |
| Birth rate | 10.3/1,000 population (2021)[3] |
| Death rate |  10.0/1,000 population (2021)[3] |
| Life expectancy | |
| • male |  78.6 years of age (2020–2022)[4] |
| • female | 82.6 years of age (2020–2022)[4] |
| Fertility rate | 1.53 (2021)[3] |
| Infant mortality rate |  4.0 deaths/1,000 live births (2021)[3] |
| Net migration rate | 2.9 migrants/1,000 population (2024 est.)[5] |
| Age structure | |
| 0–14 years | 17.2% (2022)[2] |
| 15–64 years | 64.0% (2022)[2] |
| 65 and over | 18.8% (2022)[2] |
| Sex ratio | |
| Total | 0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)[5] |
| At birth | 1.05 male(s)/female (2024 est.)[5] |
| Under 15 | 1.05 male(s)/female (2024 est.)[5] |
| 65 and over | 0.85 male(s)/female (2024 est.)[5] |
| Nationality | |
| Nationality | British citizen |
| Major ethnic | |
| Minor ethnic |
|
| Language | |
| Official | English |
| Spoken | Scots · Irish · Scottish Gaelic · Welsh · Cornish · Manx |
The population of the United Kingdom was estimated at 67,596,281 in 2022.[1] It is the 21st most populated country in the world and has a population density of 279 people per square kilometre (720 people/sq mi), with England having significantly greater density than Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.[1] Almost a third of the population lives in south east England, which is predominantly urban and suburban, with 8,866,180 people in the capital city, London, whose population density was 5,640 inhabitants per square kilometre (14,600/sq mi) in 2022.[1]
The population of the UK has undergone demographic transition—that is, the transition from a (typically) pre-industrial population, with high birth and mortality rates and slow population growth, through a stage of falling mortality and faster rates of population growth, to a stage of low birth and mortality rates with, again, lower rates of growth. This growth through 'natural change' has been accompanied in the past two decades by growth through net immigration into the United Kingdom, which since 1999 has exceeded natural change.[9]
The United Kingdom's high literacy rate (99% at age 15 and above)[10] is attributable to universal state education, introduced at the primary level in 1870 (Scotland 1872, free 1890[11]) and at the secondary level in 1900. Parents are obliged to have their children educated from the ages of 5 to 16 years. In England, 16–17-year olds should remain in education, employment or training (for example, in the form of A-Levels, vocational training, and apprenticeships), until the age of 18.[12]
The United Kingdom's population is predominantly White British (81.88% at the 2011 Census), but due to migration from Commonwealth nations, Britain has become ethnically diverse. The second and third largest non-white racial groups are Asian British at 7% of the population, followed by Black British people at 3%.
The main language of the country is British English. Some Celtic languages, namely Scottish Gaelic and Irish, are still spoken by minorities in Scotland and Northern Ireland, respectively, and Cornish has been revived to a limited degree in Cornwall; but the predominant language in all these areas is English. Welsh is widely spoken as a first language in parts of North and West Wales, and to lesser extent in South East Wales, where English is the dominant first language.[citation needed]
- ^ a b c d e "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Table 4 - Vital statistics summary and life expectancy at birth: 2018-2022" (PDF). Demographic Yearbook (PDF). United Nations Publications. 2022. pp. 92–113. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ a b "National life tables – life expectancy in the UK: 2020 to 2022". Office for National Statistics. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "United Kingdom". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Ethnic group". Office for National Statistics. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ "MS-B01 Ethnic group". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ "Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion". Scotland's Census. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Chappell-2005awas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ UK Literacy Rate 2003 [CIA] World Book; retrieved 17 June 2013.
- ^ Education (Scotland) Act 1872
- ^ "School leaving age". GOV.UK.
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