United Kingdom · region of England
North East England population 2026
North East England has 2,762,746 people on the latest official figure, for mid-2025, 13,998 more than a year earlier (+0.51%). It is 9th of the UK’s 9 English regions by population, home to 4.0% of the UK’s people.
If last year’s change continues: about 2.8 million by 1 July 2026. That is our arithmetic, not an official figure.
North East England in numbers
- Population
- 2.8 million mid-2025
- Change in a year
- +0.51% +13,998 people
- Change since 2020
- +4.75% from 2.6 million
- Share of the UK
- 4.0% 9th of 9 English regions
- Population density
- 322per km² 8,581 km²
- Births in the year
- 24 thousand deaths: 30 thousand
- International migration
- +12 thousand net arrivals from abroad
- Moves within the UK
- +7 thousand more people moved in than left
In the latest year deaths outnumbered births by 5,452, 12,201 more people arrived from abroad than left, and 7,439 more people moved in from the rest of the UK than moved out.
That is about as many people as Albania (2.8 million).
Population of North East England by year
› Show the numbers as a table
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 2,596,441 |
| 2012 | 2,598,972 |
| 2013 | 2,603,299 |
| 2014 | 2,610,482 |
| 2015 | 2,611,804 |
| 2016 | 2,618,253 |
| 2017 | 2,623,787 |
| 2018 | 2,629,393 |
| 2019 | 2,636,676 |
| 2020 | 2,637,426 |
| 2021 | 2,647,493 |
| 2022 | 2,681,888 |
| 2023 | 2,719,289 |
| 2024 | 2,748,748 |
| 2025 | 2,762,746 |
| Year | Population | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,762,746 | +13,998 | +0.51% |
| 2024 | 2,748,748 | +29,459 | +1.08% |
| 2023 | 2,719,289 | +37,401 | +1.39% |
| 2022 | 2,681,888 | +34,395 | +1.30% |
| 2021 | 2,647,493 | +10,067 | +0.38% |
| 2020 | 2,637,426 | +750 | +0.03% |
| 2019 | 2,636,676 | +7,283 | +0.28% |
| 2018 | 2,629,393 | +5,606 | +0.21% |
| 2017 | 2,623,787 | +5,534 | +0.21% |
| 2016 | 2,618,253 | +6,449 | +0.25% |
| 2015 | 2,611,804 | +1,322 | +0.05% |
| 2014 | 2,610,482 | +7,183 | +0.28% |
| 2013 | 2,603,299 | +4,327 | +0.17% |
| 2012 | 2,598,972 | +2,531 | +0.10% |
| 2011 | 2,596,441 | – | – |
North East England among the UK’s English regions
Full ranking →| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South East England | 9,691,844 | +0.55% | 13.9% | 508 |
| 2 | London | 9,122,909 | −0.29% | 13.1% | 5,804 |
| 3 | North West England | 7,772,854 | +0.73% | 11.2% | 551 |
| 4 | East of England | 6,613,801 | +0.65% | 9.5% | 346 |
| 5 | West Midlands | 6,205,854 | +0.39% | 8.9% | 477 |
| 6 | South West England | 5,906,997 | +0.38% | 8.5% | 248 |
| 7 | Yorkshire and the Humber | 5,672,166 | +0.28% | 8.2% | 368 |
| 8 | East Midlands | 5,085,641 | +0.50% | 7.3% | 326 |
| 9 | North East England | 2,762,746 | +0.51% | 4.0% | 322 |
Largest cities in North East England
City proper, not the wider metro area; latest figure in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), so years differ.
- Newcastle upon Tyne300,125
- Sunderland170,134
- Middlesbrough142,707
- Darlington92,363
- Gateshead77,649
Questions
What is the population of North East England in 2026?
Is North East England’s population growing or shrinking?
How does North East England rank in the UK?
What is the population density of North East England?
What is the largest city in North East England?
Source and method
Office for National Statistics, mid-year population estimates. Open Government Licence v3.0. Standard area measurements, ONS. The ONS publishes new mid-year estimates once a year. Ranks, shares and changes are our arithmetic on the published figures. National figures can differ from the UN’s projection for the UK, which uses a different method. The 2026 figure above carries last year’s change forward; it does not come from the source.
Cite this page: North East England population, Office for National Statistics, mid-2025. GlobeMetrics, https://globemetrics.org/world-population/united-kingdom/north-east-england/
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