Population and Demographics of the United Kingdom
An aging population · 19.5% aged 65 or older in 2024
The 2024 population estimate places the United Kingdom at 69.14 million people, with fertility measured at 1.6 children per woman. Over the 24 years from 2000 to 2024, the United Kingdom moved +17.1% in population size. By 2050, the medium path points to 75.5 million, equivalent to a +9.2% change from the 2024 estimate.
Population Over Time in the United Kingdom
Between 2000 and 2024, the United Kingdom's population increased by about 10.08 million, moving from 59.057M to 69.138M. The UN medium projection places 2050 at 75.505M, about 9.2% above the 2024 reference point. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
the United Kingdom has a maturing demographic profile in the 2024 broad age data. The under-15 share is 17.19% and the 65-and-older share is 19.50%, with 63.31% aged 15 to 64. The youngest and oldest broad age groups are relatively close in size.
Population by broad age group
In the World Bank 2024 series, females account for 50.8% of the United Kingdom's population and males 49.2%. Females exceed males by 1.6 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Females made up 50.8% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 49.2% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
Fertility is 1.6 in the United Kingdom, while annual population change is +0.66% in 2024, within a population where the under-15 and 65-plus shares differ by 2.31 percentage points.
Historical change in the United Kingdom totals +17.1% between 2000 and 2024, whereas the medium projection changes the population +9.2% by 2050; that contrast is reported without assigning unsupported causes.
2024 estimate for the United Kingdom. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
United Kingdom vs. World
The table compares United Kingdom with the world using the same 2024 population table for all three indicators, avoiding mixed-year comparisons.
| Indicator | United Kingdom | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +0.66% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.6 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 40 | 30.6 | 2024 |
For United Kingdom, annual change, fertility and median age are compared with 2024 world values from the same Worldometer table, which states that its demographic data are based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Key Takeaways
the United Kingdom has 69,138,192 people in the 2024 estimate, with the population changing +0.66% over the year.
Age structure is a key feature of the profile: 17.19% are under 15 and 19.50% are 65 or older.
The World Bank 2024 sex-share series is 50.8% female and 49.2% male.
The 2050 medium projection is 75.505M, 9.2% above the 2024 estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of the United Kingdom?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for the United Kingdom is 69,138,192 people.
Is the population of the United Kingdom growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, the United Kingdom's population is growing, with annual change of +0.66%.
What percentage of the population of the United Kingdom is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 19.50% of the United Kingdom's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of the United Kingdom in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts the United Kingdom's 2050 population at 75,504,681.
What is the fertility rate in the United Kingdom?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for the United Kingdom is 1.6 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.