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United Kingdom · nation

Wales population 2026

Wales has 3,175,181 people on the latest official figure, for mid-2025, 2,768 fewer than a year earlier (−0.09%). It is 3rd of the UK’s 4 UK nations by population, home to 4.6% of the UK’s people.

If last year’s change continues: about 3.2 million by 1 July 2026. That is our arithmetic, not an official figure.

Wales in numbers

Population
3.2 million mid-2025
Change in a year
−0.09% −2,768 people
Change since 2020
+2.28% from 3.1 million
Share of the UK
4.6% 3rd of 4 UK nations
Population density
153per km² 20,737 km²
Births in the year
26 thousand deaths: 36 thousand
International migration
+2 thousand net arrivals from abroad
Moves within the UK
+5 thousand more people moved in than left

In the latest year deaths outnumbered births by 9,168, 1,657 more people arrived from abroad than left, and 4,876 more people moved in from the rest of the UK than moved out.

That is about as many people as Qatar (3.2 million).

Population of Wales by year

Population of Wales
3.2M
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
20113,063,758
20123,070,928
20133,071,058
20143,073,788
20153,072,739
20163,077,165
20173,081,366
20183,083,840
20193,087,732
20203,104,483
20213,105,633
20223,132,730
20233,165,075
20243,177,949
20253,175,181
YearPopulationChange
2025 3,175,181 −2,768
2024 3,177,949 +12,874
2023 3,165,075 +32,345
2022 3,132,730 +27,097
2021 3,105,633 +1,150
2020 3,104,483 +16,751
2019 3,087,732 +3,892
2018 3,083,840 +2,474
2017 3,081,366 +4,201
2016 3,077,165 +4,426
2015 3,072,739 −1,049
2014 3,073,788 +2,730
2013 3,071,058 +130
2012 3,070,928 +7,170
2011 3,063,758 –

Wales among the UK’s UK nations

Full ranking →
UK nations of the UK by population
#
1 England58,834,812+0.39%
2 Scotland5,545,500+0.04%
3 Wales3,175,181−0.09%
4 Northern Ireland1,928,446+0.03%

Largest cities in Wales

City proper, not the wider metro area; latest figure in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), so years differ.

  1. Cardiff372,089
  2. Swansea300,352
  3. Newport161,506
  4. Rhondda69,506
  5. Wrexham65,692
  6. Buckley63,576

Questions

What is the population of Wales in 2026?
The latest official figure is 3,175,181, for mid-2025 (Office for National Statistics). If last year’s change continues, Wales would have about 3.2 million people by 1 July 2026; that is our arithmetic, not an official figure. The ONS publishes new mid-year estimates once a year.

Is Wales’s population growing or shrinking?
It shrank by 2,768 people (−0.09%) in the latest year, and has changed +2.28% since 2020. In the latest year deaths outnumbered births by 9,168, 1,657 more people arrived from abroad than left, and 4,876 more people moved in from the rest of the UK than moved out.

How does Wales rank in the UK?
Wales is 3rd of the UK’s 4 UK nations, with 4.6% of the people. England is the largest, with 58.8 million.

What is the population density of Wales?
About 153 people per km², on 20,737 km². Standard area measurements, ONS.

What is the largest city in Wales?
Cardiff, with about 372 thousand people in the city proper. Metro areas are larger, and years differ (GeoNames).

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: Wales population, Office for National Statistics, mid-2025. GlobeMetrics, https://globemetrics.org/world-population/united-kingdom/wales/

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