Police officers per 1000 people in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Police officers per 1000 people was 3.3 in 2015. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2015)
3.3
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
70th
of 103 countries
All-time high
3.87
in 1973
All-time low
3.3
in 2015
Years of data
16
1973–2015

Police officers per 1000 people in United Kingdom, 1973–2015

012341973199420151973: 3.92001: 3.52002: 3.62003: 3.52004: 3.82005: 3.82006: 3.72007: 3.72008: 3.72009: 3.72010: 3.62011: 3.52012: 3.42013: 3.42014: 3.42015: 3.3

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2015, police officers per 1000 people in United Kingdom stood at 3.3. That is the lowest value across all 16 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 12.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, police officers per 1000 people in United Kingdom peaked at 3.87 in 1973 and was at its lowest, 3.3, in 2015.

That places United Kingdom 70th out of 103 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 3.87 3.87 3.87 1
2000s 3.67 3.48 3.78 9
2010s 3.43 3.3 3.62 6

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 67 Kazakhstan 3.47 compare
  2. 68 Paraguay 3.45 compare
  3. 69 Fiji 3.39 compare
  4. 71 South Africa 3.23 compare
  5. 72 Switzerland 3.19 compare
  6. 73 Nepal 3.17 compare

See the full ranking of 103 places β†’

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is police officers per 1000 people in United Kingdom?
Police officers per 1000 people in United Kingdom was 3.3 in 2015, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest police officers per 1000 people recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 3.87 in 1973.
What is the lowest police officers per 1000 people recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 3.3 in 2015.
How does United Kingdom rank for police officers per 1000 people?
United Kingdom ranks 70th out of 103 countries with data for 2015.
Is police officers per 1000 people rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Police officers per 1000 people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Police officers per 1000 people in United Kingdom. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/police-officers-per-1000-people/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Police officers per 1000 people
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
103 places, 1,617 data points, 1973–2015
Last refreshed