England Population 2023

England has an estimated population of 55,977,178 according to the latest mid-year estimates. England is the largest of the four countries that comprise the United Kingdom. England is bordered by Scotland to the north, Wales to the west, the Celtic Sea to the southwest, and the Irish Sea to the northwest. It's separated from continental Europe by the English Channel and the North Sea.

If England's population were measured separately from the United Kingdom's, it would be the 25th largest country in the world by population and the fifth largest in Europe. As it stands, England's population accounts for 84% of the United Kingdom.

Largest Cities in England

London is the largest city in England. In 2016, the number of residents of Greater London was calculated to be over 8.6 million. This makes it the largest city in England and in the UK as a whole, the 3rd largest city in Europe and the 22nd largest city in the world.

London is considerably more diverse than the rest of the UK, as it attracts immigrants from around the world. You can read more about the United Kingdom's capital city in our detailed article about London.

Birmingham is England's second most populous city. In 2010 its population was estimated to have just passed one million - 1,036,900 to be exact. Its population in 2016 is estimated to be around 1.1 million.

Following Birmingham is a clutch of other English cities with similarly sized populations. They are: Liverpool (pop: 473,073), Leeds (pop: 766,399), Sheffield (pop: 563,749) and Manchester (pop: 520,215).

England Demographics

The 2011 census recorded that 85.4% of England's population was White, 7.8% Asian, 3.5% Black, 2.3% Mixed, 0.45% Chinese and 0.44% of another ethnic group.

The 2011 census also recorded the place of birth of everyone living in England. It showed that 83.46% of people in England were born in England itself, 2.7% were born elsewhere in the United Kingdom, 3.73% in the European Union and 9.36% outside of the EU.

Respondents to the census were also asked questions about their religion. As expected, Christianity remains the predominant religion in England – 59.38% of respondents were Christian. 24.74% claimed no religion, and a further 7.18% did not answer the question at all. Of other religions, 5.02% of people in England are Muslim, 1.52% Hindu, 0.79% Sikh, 0.49% Jewish, 0.45% Buddhist, and 0.43% from another unspecified religion.

Despite being a relatively compact country, there are many distinct dialects in use across the country, and vocabulary varies slightly across the country.

Cornish, a Celtic language which is spoken by approximately 3,500 people in south-western county of Cornwall, has protected language status and is undergoing a small revival.

As a result of immigration into England, a wide variety of other languages are also spoken, but none is given any official status. It is estimated that English is a second language for one in every eight school children in England.