Great Britain population
Great Britain population stood at 67,555,500 people in 2025, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is one of the indicators in the Population table (Value · Annual), with a complete series running from 1971 to 2025. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Population table
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain2 | 67,555,500 | 67,328,400 | 66,667,700 | 65,725,600 | 65,073,400 | 64,839,300 | 64,729,000 | 64,400,500 | 64,089,100 | 63,739,800 | |
| England and Wales | 62,010,000 | 61,785,100 | 61,155,900 | 60,278,600 | 59,660,500 | 59,430,400 | 59,317,800 | 59,008,400 | 58,700,900 | 58,366,200 | |
| Scotland | 5,545,500 | 5,543,300 | 5,511,800 | 5,447,000 | 5,412,900 | 5,408,900 | 5,411,200 | 5,392,100 | 5,388,200 | 5,373,600 |
Understanding great Britain population
Enumeration aggregates the total usual resident population situated across the constituent countries of England, Scotland and Wales, strictly excluding Northern Ireland. This geographic restriction separates the metric from wider United Kingdom totals while grouping distinct regional administrations into a single sub-national aggregate. The count includes individuals who reside in the area for a prolonged period, capturing long-term international migrants and students at their term-time addresses alongside permanent households, while omitting short-term visitors and transient non-residents. Analysts use this regional total to evaluate geographic shifts, housing demand, and labour supply across the primary island landmass without distortion from the separate administrative jurisdiction across the Irish Sea.
Interpreting the series requires caution regarding methodological adjustments, particularly following census rebasing exercises that reset baseline levels after intercensal periods. Early annual figures rely on provisional administrative records and migration estimates, which undergo subsequent revisions when more complete administrative datasets become available. Comparing consecutive annual figures captures both genuine demographic change and administrative refinements, making multi-year analysis more reliable than single-period comparisons. Users should avoid treating this aggregate as interchangeable with United Kingdom figures, as omitting Northern Ireland alters the denominator for per-capita calculations and regional comparisons.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does this count exclude Northern Ireland?
- The geographic scope is strictly confined to Great Britain, which encompasses only England, Scotland and Wales by definition.
- Are students living away from home included in this regional count?
- Yes, students are counted at their term-time addresses where they reside for the majority of the year, consistent with standard usual-residence definitions.
- How do census rebasing exercises affect the figures?
- Rebasing updates historical estimates using new census benchmarks, creating a statistical break that prevents direct comparison with figures published before the rebasing occurred.