POPULATION IN UK

The population density of the United Kingdom is one of the highest in Europe, exceeded by Netherlands and Belgium. The most populated part is England, with nearly four-fifths of the UK’s population residing there. It is also the most densely populated portion of the United Kingdom, with a population density of 384 persons per sq km.

According to new figures the United Kingdom population is projected to increase gradually from an estimated 59.6 million in 2003, passing 60 million in 2005, to 65.7 million by 2031. Of the projected 6.1 million increase between 2003 and 2031, 41 percent is projected as natural increase {more births than deaths} while the remaining 59 per cent is the assumed total number of net migrants. There is a lot of congestion in the cities, which make them feel overcrowded.

Britain’s overwhelming urban population is 88.9 percent, while those living in rural areas are 11.1 per cent. The most densely populated areas in England are- London, Birmingham and Coventry in the Midlands, and in northern England the old industrial centers of Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool, and Newcastle upon Tyne. Due to the growth of hi-tech and also service sectors of the economy, England, particularly the southeast became a center of population growth during the 1980s and 1990s.

Two thirds of the people in Wales live in the industrial southern valleys, three-quarters of the people in Scotland live in the central lowlands, and about half of the people living in Northern Ireland reside in Belfast, along the coast.

According to the 2001 census, the population of Greater London is about 7.2 million, making it the moist populous city in the United Kingdom. It is the seat of government, center of business, and heart of arts and culture.

For the first time ever, the UK has more people aged over 60 than under 16.Today there are five times more people aged over 85 than there were in 1951. The population of UK has increased by 7.0 per cent since 1971. Growth has been faster in more recent years, partly as a result of greater number of births than deaths, with migration an increasing factor from the late 1990s.