Population of the UK 2021, by region

The population of the United Kingdom was estimated to have been over 67 million in 2021, with almost 9.3 million of these people living in South East England. London had the next highest population, at 8.8 million people, followed by the North West at 7.4 million.

Regions and Counties

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 are the 47 metropolitan and ceremonial counties, the smallest of which is Rutland which had a population of just under 40 thousand in 2020.

Regional divisions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The smaller countries that make up 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. Northern Ireland on the other hand has eleven local government districts, the largest of which is Belfast with a population of around 340 thousand.