United Kingdom · region of England
North West England population 2026
North West England has 7,772,854 people on the latest official figure, for mid-2025, 56,748 more than a year earlier (+0.73%). It is 3rd of the UK’s 9 English regions by population, home to 11.2% of the UK’s people.
If last year’s change continues: about 7.8 million by 1 July 2026. That is our arithmetic, not an official figure.
North West England in numbers
- Population
- 7.8 million mid-2025
- Change in a year
- +0.73% +56,748 people
- Change since 2020
- +5.32% from 7.4 million
- Share of the UK
- 11.2% 3rd of 9 English regions
- Population density
- 551per km² 14,108 km²
- Births in the year
- 74 thousand deaths: 76 thousand
- International migration
- +35 thousand net arrivals from abroad
- Moves within the UK
- +24 thousand more people moved in than left
In the latest year deaths outnumbered births by 1,928, 34,627 more people arrived from abroad than left, and 23,771 more people moved in from the rest of the UK than moved out.
That is about as many people as Turkmenistan (7.7 million).
Population of North West England by year
› Show the numbers as a table
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 7,055,961 |
| 2012 | 7,079,344 |
| 2013 | 7,105,146 |
| 2014 | 7,141,096 |
| 2015 | 7,182,651 |
| 2016 | 7,234,141 |
| 2017 | 7,275,765 |
| 2018 | 7,316,116 |
| 2019 | 7,363,267 |
| 2020 | 7,380,605 |
| 2021 | 7,424,092 |
| 2022 | 7,520,961 |
| 2023 | 7,623,930 |
| 2024 | 7,716,106 |
| 2025 | 7,772,854 |
| Year | Population | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7,772,854 | +56,748 | +0.74% |
| 2024 | 7,716,106 | +92,176 | +1.21% |
| 2023 | 7,623,930 | +102,969 | +1.37% |
| 2022 | 7,520,961 | +96,869 | +1.30% |
| 2021 | 7,424,092 | +43,487 | +0.59% |
| 2020 | 7,380,605 | +17,338 | +0.24% |
| 2019 | 7,363,267 | +47,151 | +0.64% |
| 2018 | 7,316,116 | +40,351 | +0.55% |
| 2017 | 7,275,765 | +41,624 | +0.58% |
| 2016 | 7,234,141 | +51,490 | +0.72% |
| 2015 | 7,182,651 | +41,555 | +0.58% |
| 2014 | 7,141,096 | +35,950 | +0.51% |
| 2013 | 7,105,146 | +25,802 | +0.36% |
| 2012 | 7,079,344 | +23,383 | +0.33% |
| 2011 | 7,055,961 | – | – |
North West 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 West England
City proper, not the wider metro area; latest figure in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), so years differ.
- Manchester568,996
- Liverpool496,770
- Preston313,332
- Wigan175,405
- Blackpool145,007
- Bolton141,331
Questions
What is the population of North West England in 2026?
Is North West England’s population growing or shrinking?
How does North West England rank in the UK?
What is the population density of North West England?
What is the largest city in North West 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 West England population, Office for National Statistics, mid-2025. GlobeMetrics, https://globemetrics.org/world-population/united-kingdom/north-west-england/
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