Population in urban agglomerations … Population agglomerations in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Population in urban agglomerations … Population agglomerations was 27.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in United Kingdom, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in United Kingdom stood at 27.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in United Kingdom peaked at 31.4% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 25.5%, in 1991.
That places United Kingdom 42nd out of 121 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Population in urban agglomerations … Population agglomerations in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 31.4% | — |
| 1961 | 31.1% | -0.8% |
| 1962 | 30.7% | -1.3% |
| 1963 | 30.4% | -1.2% |
| 1964 | 30.0% | -1.1% |
| 1965 | 29.7% | -1.1% |
| 1966 | 29.4% | -1.0% |
| 1967 | 29.1% | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 28.8% | -1.0% |
| 1969 | 28.5% | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 28.3% | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 28.0% | -0.9% |
| 1972 | 27.7% | -1.1% |
| 1973 | 27.5% | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 27.2% | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 27.0% | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 26.9% | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 26.7% | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 26.5% | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 26.3% | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 26.1% | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 25.9% | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 25.9% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 25.9% | -0.0% |
| 1984 | 25.9% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 25.8% | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 25.8% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 25.7% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 25.7% | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 25.6% | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 25.5% | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 25.5% | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 25.6% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 25.6% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 25.6% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 25.6% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 25.7% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 25.7% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 25.7% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 25.7% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 25.7% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 25.7% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 25.8% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 25.8% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 25.8% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 25.8% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 25.8% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 25.9% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 25.9% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 26.0% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 26.1% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 26.2% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 26.3% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 26.4% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 26.5% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 26.6% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 26.6% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 26.8% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 26.9% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 27.0% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 27.3% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 27.4% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 27.4% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 27.3% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 27.3% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 27.4% | +0.5% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 27.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 28.3%, 97% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 27.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 21.8%, 1.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 29.9% | 28.5% | 31.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 27.2% | 26.3% | 28.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 25.8% | 25.6% | 26.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 25.6% | 25.5% | 25.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.8% | 25.7% | 26.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.5% | 26.1% | 27.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.4% | 27.3% | 27.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More climate change data for United Kingdom
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 37,706 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 8,697 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 29,008 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 32.82 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,036 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 7,083 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 7,027 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 55.89 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 26.52 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in United Kingdom?
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in United Kingdom was 27.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 31.4% in 1960.
- What is the lowest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.5% in 1991.
- How does United Kingdom rank for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
- United Kingdom ranks 42nd out of 121 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the percentage of a country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.