Projected population of the UK and its nations
Projection: the ONS's 2024-based principal projection
The ONS's principal projection of the population of the UK, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland at each mid-year from mid-2024 to mid-2049 – a projection, not an estimate – from its national population projections.
United Kingdom
72,409,925
2049 · projected, from 69,281,437 at mid-2024
Verified against source, 9 November 2026, 15:15 UTC- United Kingdom
- England
- Wales
- Scotland
- Northern Ireland
Source: Office for National Statistics. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Data table
26 periods, newest first
| Period | United Kingdom | England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2049 | 72,409,925 | 61,831,586 | 3,195,186 | 5,474,531 | 1,908,622 |
| 2048 | 72,354,744 | 61,760,543 | 3,198,195 | 5,484,256 | 1,911,750 |
| 2047 | 72,291,646 | 61,682,705 | 3,200,910 | 5,493,447 | 1,914,584 |
| 2046 | 72,221,484 | 61,598,810 | 3,203,394 | 5,502,108 | 1,917,172 |
| 2045 | 72,145,028 | 61,509,575 | 3,205,662 | 5,510,273 | 1,919,518 |
| 2044 | 72,062,914 | 61,415,577 | 3,207,753 | 5,517,911 | 1,921,673 |
| 2043 | 71,976,128 | 61,317,774 | 3,209,633 | 5,525,014 | 1,923,707 |
| 2042 | 71,885,674 | 61,216,993 | 3,211,352 | 5,531,652 | 1,925,677 |
| 2041 | 71,791,876 | 61,113,581 | 3,212,928 | 5,537,743 | 1,927,624 |
| 2040 | 71,694,769 | 61,007,527 | 3,214,415 | 5,543,346 | 1,929,481 |
| 2039 | 71,594,113 | 60,898,674 | 3,215,734 | 5,548,392 | 1,931,313 |
| 2038 | 71,489,413 | 60,786,695 | 3,216,820 | 5,552,801 | 1,933,097 |
| 2037 | 71,379,937 | 60,670,960 | 3,217,618 | 5,556,541 | 1,934,818 |
| 2036 | 71,264,846 | 60,550,770 | 3,218,098 | 5,559,549 | 1,936,429 |
| 2035 | 71,143,153 | 60,425,280 | 3,218,224 | 5,561,771 | 1,937,878 |
| 2034 | 71,013,837 | 60,293,598 | 3,218,017 | 5,563,168 | 1,939,054 |
| 2033 | 70,875,765 | 60,154,788 | 3,217,317 | 5,563,733 | 1,939,927 |
| 2032 | 70,728,035 | 60,008,116 | 3,216,013 | 5,563,435 | 1,940,471 |
| 2031 | 70,570,169 | 59,853,157 | 3,214,070 | 5,562,308 | 1,940,634 |
| 2030 | 70,402,014 | 59,689,702 | 3,211,515 | 5,560,450 | 1,940,347 |
| 2029 | 70,223,783 | 59,517,870 | 3,208,416 | 5,557,915 | 1,939,582 |
| 2028 | 70,035,138 | 59,337,395 | 3,204,684 | 5,554,735 | 1,938,324 |
| 2027 | 69,836,073 | 59,148,234 | 3,200,331 | 5,550,963 | 1,936,545 |
| 2026 | 69,627,595 | 58,951,205 | 3,195,431 | 5,546,779 | 1,934,180 |
| 2025 | 69,502,341 | 58,829,244 | 3,192,499 | 5,549,297 | 1,931,301 |
| 2024 | 69,281,437 | 58,620,101 | 3,186,581 | 5,546,900 | 1,927,855 |
Source and licence
- Publisher
- Office for National Statistics
- Check it yourself
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/tablea11principalprojectionuksummary
- Licence
- Open Government Licence v3.0 – Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Retrieved
- 9 November 2026, 14:56 UTC
- Raw files fetched
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/tablea11principalprojectionuksummary/dataSHA-256 19becce6a2c2bbeb74c88a438d0ccd70ccfbfdc09b7db13f0100100282c4a158 · 2,840 bytes
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/tablea11principalprojectionuksummary/2024based/dataSHA-256 95b124dfb4cafdbe6699703d5d617f579890d643fae5d07db57e0831efb6001f · 371 bytes
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/tablea11principalprojectionuksummary/2024based/ukpppsummary.xlsxSHA-256 4bf7c27b131aaa046341dac8018a9df036a91547ddd1bc40623cead51303d5b2 · 170,678 bytes
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/tablea14principalprojectionenglandsummary/dataSHA-256 bfee3a75cafc076bf447b0e7af1bb3d3465ffa14e0d2c286a52b39ebd50c8837 · 2,886 bytes
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/tablea14principalprojectionenglandsummary/2024based/dataSHA-256 2f3bbfc821c9e5ba6e04a65424332b37f603331b6ef61bc17ace43785c45d679 · 376 bytes
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/tablea14principalprojectionenglandsummary/2024based/enpppsummary.xlsxSHA-256 5c26599f0bc35b7c0c882d0026d3ca186bc8bfd68a7582e4871ab8ebb93797ed · 166,993 bytes
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/tablea15principalprojectionwalessummary/dataSHA-256 ecc6aab6327a8c3f3fa3791c9190401ed5d154329a3119d6706da1b6adb7a4f7 · 2,864 bytes
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/tablea15principalprojectionwalessummary/2024based/dataSHA-256 90d8f71d66fa7df6d00106c3d529e6bedb893f7116446ae2bf5365838c59f2e6 · 374 bytes
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/tablea15principalprojectionwalessummary/2024based/wapppsummary.xlsxSHA-256 ebf7323ca094b0003a8f6255b84e3103026a217f4b02b2ba90fae904d6eb2e06 · 162,271 bytes
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/tablea16principalprojectionscotlandsummary/dataSHA-256 d0f732cac642bcf111056b9d70de5f9c161613f64f6fbfbc6d5f296ae16c7cc7 · 2,238 bytes
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/tablea16principalprojectionscotlandsummary/2024based/dataSHA-256 75c529febb0dce6e2960bc1f7a8f13bb7fdf7dca545b8527304a92190e064f6b · 377 bytes
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/tablea16principalprojectionscotlandsummary/2024based/scpppsummary.xlsxSHA-256 adf717c02048618ce6844d0c583e28773e4fbbaba892cdef47f79f322078e916 · 162,590 bytes
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/tablea17principalprojectionnorthernirelandsummary/dataSHA-256 08c0cd9ee507af74fbbd0c50c5120cea1a01170b183c6bf6558651e6647e5283 · 2,977 bytes
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/tablea17principalprojectionnorthernirelandsummary/2024based/dataSHA-256 30c6ca31ff842fb600ce6d512a8dc1b75dc3194a548f2b27c5ec0ae0f9f5a299 · 384 bytes
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/tablea17principalprojectionnorthernirelandsummary/2024based/nipppsummary.xlsxSHA-256 c8f854c2239568db3e9bd843823d26cf8f9d8c8c5067c2a624c7bb397ea8248e · 160,683 bytes
Verification
Verified against source, 9 November 2026, 15:15 UTC Run at 9 November 2026, 15:15 UTC; 130 of 130 figures matched the live source.
| Result | Check | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Pass | Provenance recorded | Office for National Statistics; Open Government Licence v3.0; retrieved 2026-11-09T14:56:05Z; 15 raw file(s) |
| Pass | Raw files match recorded SHA-256 | 15 of 15 files intact |
| Pass | Re-parsing raw files reproduces figures | 130 of 130 figures and the headline reproduced; the meta's accreditation and basis match |
| Pass | Figures are finite numbers | 130 figures, 0 invalid |
| Pass | Live source matches every figure | 130 of 130 figures match exactly after downloading 15 source file(s) again (15 byte-identical); the headline matches; the meta's accreditation and basis match |
| Pass | ONS edition is current | the 2024based edition counts at 2024-06-30, 862 days before retrieval (limit 1500) |
| Pass | The nations add up to the UK | 101 of 101 cases of the projection's mid-years, to mid-2124, the four nations add up to the UK |
| Pass | Males and females add up | 505 of 505 cases of the nations' and the UK's mid-years have males and females adding up to everyone |
| Pass | Age groups add up | 505 of 505 cases of the nations' and the UK's mid-years have their six age groups adding up to everyone |
| Pass | Table 1's population is Table 2's | 1500 of 1500 cases of the years' population at the end in the components of change is the table by age's, for everyone, males and females |
| Pass | Source page answers | https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojections/datasets/tablea11principalprojectionuksummary – HTTP 200 |
Notes
- The ONS's principal projection of the population at each mid-year, in thousands, from Table 2 of its national population projections summary for the UK and for each nation, shown to mid-2049 though it runs to mid-2124. A projection is not an estimate or a forecast: it shows what would happen if the ONS's assumptions about births, deaths and migration held, and the further ahead it looks the less certain it is.
- The projection starts from the ONS's own mid-2024 base, so its early years need not match the mid-year estimates on the hub's page for the population of the UK and its nations. The UK's figures are the four nations' added together.