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The UK's largest cities, 1975 to 2050

London is the UK's largest city at about 10.4 million in 2025, roughly four times Birmingham (2.63 million) and Manchester (2.54 million), by UN figures.

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What the data shows

  • In 2025, London ranks #1 with 10.4M, ahead of Birmingham (2.6M) and Manchester (2.5M).
  • By 2050, on the UN's projections, London is projected to rank #1 with 11.9M, ahead of Birmingham (2.8M) and Manchester (2.6M).
  • London holds #1 for the whole period, 1975 to 2025.

About this chart

London sits in a class of its own. The UN counts about 10.42 million people in its urban area in 2025, against 2.63 million for Birmingham and 2.54 million for Manchester. London dipped from 7.37 million in 1975 to about 7 million in 1980 and 1985 before growing every five years since. The UN projects 11.87 million by 2050.

Elsewhere the picture is steadier or weaker. Liverpool fell from 1.41 million in 1975 to 1.23 million in 2025, and Glasgow from 1.02 million to 0.97 million. Birmingham and Manchester have each grown slightly and are projected at 2.81 million and 2.64 million in 2050. These are Degree of Urbanization figures for contiguous dense areas, so they differ from city-proper and metro counts. Years after 2025 are projections.

The data

Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), city population, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 4, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas), so figures differ from city-proper or metro counts.

The UK's largest cities, Population in millions, 1975 to 2050, 1975–2050
Date🇬🇧 London🇬🇧 Birmingham🇬🇧 Manchester🇬🇧 Liverpool🇬🇧 Leeds🇬🇧 Glasgow🇬🇧 Newcastle upon Tyne🇬🇧 Nottingham🇬🇧 Bristol🇬🇧 Sheffield
19757.4M2.3M2.2M1.4M0.9M1.0M0.8M0.5M0.5M0.4M
19807.0M2.2M2.1M1.3M0.8M1.0M0.7M0.5M0.4M0.5M
19857.0M2.2M2.1M1.2M0.8M1.0M0.7M0.5M0.4M0.5M
19907.1M2.2M2.1M1.2M0.8M1.0M0.7M0.5M0.4M0.5M
19957.4M2.2M2.1M1.2M0.9M0.9M0.7M0.5M0.5M0.5M
20007.7M2.2M2.1M1.1M0.9M0.9M0.7M0.5M0.5M0.5M
20057.9M2.3M2.2M1.1M0.9M0.9M0.7M0.6M0.5M0.5M
20108.6M2.3M2.3M1.2M1.0M0.9M0.7M0.6M0.5M0.5M
20159.3M2.5M2.4M1.2M1.0M0.9M0.7M0.6M0.6M0.5M
202010.0M2.6M2.5M1.2M1.0M1.0M0.7M0.6M0.6M0.5M
202510.4M2.6M2.5M1.2M1.1M1.0M0.8M0.6M0.6M0.5M
203010.8M2.7M2.6M1.2M1.1M1.0M0.8M0.7M0.6M0.6M
203511.0M2.7M2.6M1.2M1.1M1.0M0.8M0.7M0.6M0.6M
204011.4M2.8M2.6M1.3M1.1M1.0M0.8M0.7M0.6M0.6M
204511.7M2.8M2.6M1.3M1.1M1.0M0.8M0.7M0.6M0.6M
205011.9M2.8M2.6M1.3M1.1M1.0M0.8M0.7M0.6M0.6M

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Suggested caption: “London is 4x the next UK city. Liverpool is smaller than 1975.” Credit the source in your caption; it heads off the 'source?' comments.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the largest city in the UK?

In 2025, London ranks #1 with 10.4M, followed by Birmingham (2.6M) and Manchester (2.5M). Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), city population, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025).

What is the largest city in the UK?

London is the largest city in the UK in 2025, with about 10.42 million people under the UN's Degree of Urbanization definition. Birmingham is second at about 2.63 million and Manchester third at about 2.54 million.

Why isn't this London's official population?

The UN counts the whole contiguous built-up area, not the administrative boundary of London or a metro region. That is why the figure may not match the number in a city or metro statistic. Every UK city here uses the same rule, so the ranking stays consistent.

Which UK cities are shrinking?

Liverpool and Glasgow are both below their 1975 levels in the UN data. Liverpool is estimated at about 1.23 million in 2025, down from 1.41 million, and Glasgow at 0.97 million, down from 1.02 million. London, Birmingham and Manchester have all grown.

Where does this data come from?

UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), city population, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 4, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas), so figures differ from city-proper or metro counts. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

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