Cardiff Population 2023

Cardiff's 2023 population is now estimated at 488,153In 1950, the population of Cardiff was 310,229Cardiff has grown by 3,562 in the last year, which represents a 0.74% annual change. These population estimates and projections come from the latest revision of the UN World Urbanization Prospects. These estimates represent the Urban agglomeration of Cardiff, which typically includes Cardiff's population in addition to adjacent suburban areas.

Cardiff is the largest city and capital of Wales. It's the main commercial and cultural center of the country with an estimated population of 350,000 in 2014, which makes it the 9th largest city in the United Kingdom.

Cardiff has an estimated population of 357,200, as estimated by the Office for National Statistics. The Larger Urban Zone has an estimated population of 890,000, however.

City Size and Population Density

The city proper has a population density of 6,400 people per square mile (2,500 per square kilometer) and covers a total area of 140.3 square kilometers. The Cardiff-Newport metropolitan area has a population of 1.1 million.

More than 18 million people visit Cardiff each year, which makes it the 6th most popular alternative tourist destination according to National Geographic.

Cardiff Demographics

Cardiff has a very diverse population with a history of trade connections, post-war immigration and international students who attend university. At the 2011 census, the racial and ethnic composition of Cardiff was:

  • White: 84.7%
  • Asian: 8%
  • Black: 2.4%
  • Arab: 1.4%
  • Mixed White and Black African/Caribbean: 1.6%
  • Mixed White and Asian: 0.7%
  • Mixed-other: 0.6%
  • Other ethnic groups: 0.6%

More than 54,000 people in Cardiff belong to a non-white ethnic group.

Cardiff has a Roman Catholic cathedral, and it has been the seat of a Catholic archbishop since the turn of the 20th century, although the Catholic population has fallen. The Jewish population has also dropped. The oldest non-Christian community in Cardiff is Jewish. Jews were not allowed to live in Wales between 1290 and the 17th century, and the Welsh Jewish community was re-established in the 1700s. There is also a Muslim population of about 4%, which is well above the Welsh average and the UK average of 2.7%. In 2001, 19% of the city's population said they had no religion at the census, and nearly 9% did not state a faith.

Interestingly, Cardiff has the smallest percentage of people over 65 living in Wales at 13%.

Cardiff Population Growth

Except for a time of decline during the 1970s and 1980s, Cardiff's population has continually grown since 1801 when the community was barely over 6,000 residents. Early population increases over the years sometimes exceeded additions of more than 30,000 persons every ten years.

In 2008, it was the fastest-growing local authority in Wales with a growth rate of 1.2%. Between 2001 and 2011, Cardiff grew by 46,000, which was 25% of the country's growth, and it now represents 30% of the country's growth. 90% of the increase in the country is due to migration, not natural growth.

The population of Cardiff has grown so rapidly over the last decade that a new "garden city" has been proposed to the west to accommodate the rising population.

Growth Rate
0.74%

Cardiff Population 2023

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Growth
1950310,229
1951311,1060.28%877
1952311,9870.28%881
1953312,8680.28%881
1954313,7530.28%885
1955314,6410.28%888
1956315,5320.28%891
1957316,4230.28%891
1958317,3180.28%895
1959318,2150.28%897
1960319,1170.28%902
1961319,8000.21%683
1962319,550-0.08%-250
1963319,301-0.08%-249
1964319,052-0.08%-249
1965318,803-0.08%-249
1966318,554-0.08%-249
1967318,306-0.08%-248
1968318,057-0.08%-249
1969317,809-0.08%-248
1970317,561-0.08%-248
1971317,8770.1%316
1972320,7160.89%2,839
1973323,5720.89%2,856
1974326,4580.89%2,886
1975329,3700.89%2,912
1976332,3120.89%2,942
1977335,2720.89%2,960
1978338,2620.89%2,990
1979341,2790.89%3,017
1980344,3270.89%3,048
1981347,3940.89%3,067
1982350,4920.89%3,098
1983353,6180.89%3,126
1984356,7770.89%3,159
1985359,9540.89%3,177
1986363,1650.89%3,211
1987366,4040.89%3,239
1988369,6760.89%3,272
1989372,9690.89%3,293
1990376,2950.89%3,326
1991379,3840.82%3,089
1992381,6390.59%2,255
1993383,9010.59%2,262
1994386,1800.59%2,279
1995388,4730.59%2,293
1996390,7820.59%2,309
1997393,0990.59%2,317
1998395,4320.59%2,333
1999397,7790.59%2,347
2000400,1440.59%2,365
2001402,8520.68%2,708
2002407,2041.08%4,352
2003411,6031.08%4,399
2004416,0561.08%4,453
2005420,5451.08%4,489
2006425,0891.08%4,544
2007429,6811.08%4,592
2008434,3301.08%4,649
2009439,0161.08%4,686
2010443,7591.08%4,743
2011448,1180.98%4,359
2012451,2940.71%3,176
2013454,4850.71%3,191
2014457,7020.71%3,217
2015460,9420.71%3,240
2016464,2100.71%3,268
2017467,5010.71%3,291
2018470,8160.71%3,315
2019474,1870.72%3,371
2020477,6270.73%3,440
2021481,0820.72%3,455
2022484,5910.73%3,509
2023488,1530.74%3,562
2024491,7550.74%3,602
2025495,3780.74%3,623
2026498,9990.73%3,621
2027502,5990.72%3,600
2028506,1600.71%3,561
2029509,6720.69%3,512
2030513,1290.68%3,457
2031516,5250.66%3,396
2032519,8560.64%3,331
2033523,1300.63%3,274
2034526,3530.62%3,223
2035529,5360.6%3,183
showing: 86 rows

Cardiff Population Data (Urban Area)

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Other Cities in United Kingdom

  1. Welsh Government - Welsh government statistics, research and census of population
  2. Ask Cardiff - Facts and Stats - Population and Demography

Sources