Glasgow, United Kingdom Population

Glasgow is the most populous city in Scotland and the third most populous city in the United Kingdom. Its current population sits at 1.6 million people in the entire Greater Glasgow area and just under 600,000 people in the city area. The city’s population is predicted to continue rising, with estimates putting the city’s population at 1.8 million by 2035. Glasgow is one of 32 council areas of Scotland and is situated along the River Clyde in the country’s West Central Lowlands.

Residents of Glasgow are called “Glaswegians” or “Weegies” and the city’s dialect is considered unique in the Scots language and can be difficult for city outsiders to understand with ease. Glasgow was originally founded as a small rural settlement on the river and grew from there to become the largest seaport in Scotland. Glasgow is now known for its diverse architecture, busy tourism scene, and lively sports scene.

Urban renewal and a shifting population

In the 19th and 20th century, Glasgow’s population ballooned until it reached its peak of 1.1 million people by 1938. Since then, urban renewal projects in the 1960s have resulted in relocation of sections of the population to new towns and suburbs. Boundary changes have reduced the population of the City of Glasgow council area to an estimated 633,000 people. The population experienced a steady decline from 1960 to 2000 but has been growing since. The city currently has one of the highest densities of any location in Scotland, with 4,023 people per square kilometer.

Tourism to Glasgow

Glasgow’s tourism rates have continued to grow in recent years. In 2017, the city saw its highest visits and spending by international tourists in the city’s history. The city continued to outperform the Scottish average, with visits up by 19% to 787,000 people and spending up a third to £319 million. The majority of tourists (400,000) visiting Glasgow came from Europe and North American visitors rose by an astounding 40%.

Glasgow’s tourism plan for the future is focused on continuing to grow these statistics. The city looks to position itself as the ‘gateway to Scotland’. This plan hopes to deliver £771 million into the economy and create 6,600 new jobs in the city over the next six years. The city’s three international airports are easily accessible by public transit and, in 2019, city officials approved plans for a direct connection to the Edinburgh International Airport.

Income inequality and poverty

Unfortunately for Glaswegians, Glasgow is the most deprived city in Scotland. Almost half of the residents of Glasgow live in 20% of the most deprived areas of Scotland. Glasgow is still far below the national average when it comes to the number of Glaswegians with access to a bank or building society account and only 85% of Glaswegians are coping well financially, compared to the Scottish average of 91%. Almost 34% of children in the city of Glasgow were living in poverty as of 2017 and the vulnerability to child poverty varies quite a bit around the city. In some neighborhoods, 59% of the children are experiencing poverty, but in a neighboring location there may be only 5% of the children at risk. Adding to this, almost 64% of adults in Glasgow are members of the working poor.

A major centre for education in Scotland

Glasgow has ten different universities and colleges are located within a 16-kilometre radius of the city centre. Some of these include the University of Glasgow, the University of Scotland, and Glasgow Caledonian University. There are over 54,000 full-time students that live in the city during the school term—more than any other city in Scotland, and the fifth most in the United Kingdom outside of London.