UK Population Change

The Office for National Statistics has released the Population estimates for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: mid-2018. These population estimates show which areas of the UK have seen their populations grow and which have seen a fall in the local population. In mid-2018 the UK population was estimated to be 66,436,000. This represents a 0.6% growth in the national population.

The four local authorities in the UK with the biggest rise in population were all in London (the City of London, Westminster, Camden and Tower Hamlets). 45 local authority areas saw a decrease in population. Many of these were in coastal areas.

Figure 6. in the ONS report is a map of population change in UK local authority areas. This hexbin map shows four different population metrics: the overall population change, the internal migration rate, the international migration rate and the natural change rate. These four map views allow you to see if the population has risen or fallen in each local authority area and whether the change has been driven by internal migration, immigration or natural change.

The ONS report into mid-2018 UK population includes a number of other data visualizations. Some of these provide interesting insights into internal migration in the UK. For example in England there is a general trend of internal migration from urban areas to rural areas. This trend varies across different age groups. Internal migration into cities tends to be highest among young adults. While families with children tend to be the largest group moving from urban to rural areas.