Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 17.28 million people in 2020. ▬ Flat
Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in United Kingdom, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in United Kingdom is 17.28 million people, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 20.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in United Kingdom peaked at 17.28 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 12.59 million people, in 1990.
United Kingdom ranks 22nd of 182 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 14.69 million people | — |
| 1955 | 13.67 million people | -7.0% |
| 1960 | 14.98 million people | +9.6% |
| 1965 | 14.99 million people | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 14.60 million people | -2.6% |
| 1975 | 14.23 million people | -2.6% |
| 1980 | 13.75 million people | -3.4% |
| 1985 | 12.59 million people | -8.4% |
| 1990 | 12.59 million people | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 12.81 million people | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 13.09 million people | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 13.55 million people | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 14.38 million people | +6.1% |
| 2015 | 15.28 million people | +6.3% |
| 2020 | 17.28 million people | +13.1% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 17.28 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.35 million people, 12.8× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 17.28 million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.14 million people, 15.1× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 14.18 million people | 13.67 million people | 14.69 million people | 2 |
| 1960s | 14.98 million people | 14.98 million people | 14.99 million people | 2 |
| 1970s | 14.42 million people | 14.23 million people | 14.60 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 13.17 million people | 12.59 million people | 13.75 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 12.70 million people | 12.59 million people | 12.81 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 13.32 million people | 13.09 million people | 13.55 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 14.83 million people | 14.38 million people | 15.28 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 17.28 million people | 17.28 million people | 17.28 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More reference data data for United Kingdom
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 59.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.48 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in United Kingdom?
- Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in United Kingdom was 17.28 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 17.28 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.59 million people in 1990.
- How does United Kingdom rank for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- United Kingdom ranks 22nd out of 182 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.