Liverpool, United Kingdom Population

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England. It is the ninth-largest English district and lies within the UK’s sixth most populous urban area. It is located on the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary and is the sixth most visited city in the UK. It currently has a population of around 900,000 in the urban area and 864,000 in the city area.

Liverpool natives are formally called “Liverpudlians”, but it’s more common to hear them refer to themselves as “Scousers”, in reference to a type of stew made popular by sailors living in the city. This also became the common name for Liverpool’s accent and dialect. The city is over 800 years old and in 2008 was named the European Capital of Culture.

A musical mecca

The city of Liverpool is closely associated with music. The Beatles originated from Liverpool and went on to become one of the most influential music groups in history. This contributed to Liverpool’s status as a music mecca and tourist destination. There are many locations in Liverpool referenced in The Beatles music, which has led to a robust tourist industry centered around music and The Beatles. There are about a quarter of a million people that pay every year to see The Beatles Story, and The Cavern Club where The Beatles first played admits 800,000 people per year to listen to their music.

The city has continue to contribute to musical history and Liverpool has produced many notable music acts and musicians from the city have produced so many No. 1 hit singles—56 in fact—that the Guinness Book of World Records named Liverpool the “City of Pop”.

A dramatic depopulation, followed by slow climb

Liverpool saw a dramatic drop in its population after the 1960s that only started to turn around in 2001. In 1961, Liverpool had 1.3 million residents and by 2001, only had 852,000. So, what happened to cause a drop of almost 455,000 people? Economic and social factors, as well as the increased popularity of commuter trains and cars, meant that many people chose to live outside the city center.

This was also common after the war, when the horrors of being in a heavily populated city were made clear during events like The Blitz and food shortages. This caused a large percentage of the population to leave cities for suburbs or rural areas. However, where many cities turned that around, Liverpool struggled for much longer. The city has slowly started to recoup some of its lost demographic and has gained back about 50,000 people from its lowest numbers.

A popular tourist destination

International visitors flock to Liverpool for many reasons—The Beatles included—and the numbers continue to climb. Annually, the city welcomes a staggering 38 million visitors to the region and the tourism industry supports over 38,000 jobs in the city. This contributes an estimated £3.3bn to the city’s economy. There has also been an increase in the number of day visitors and visitors staying overnight, with an annual increase from 58.72 million in 2014 to 67.38 million by 2018. In contrast, much of the rest of Britain has actually experienced a decrease in tourism rates.

A diverse city

Liverpool’s history as a major port city was key for it gaining a diverse population from around the world. It is home to one of the oldest Black African communities in the United Kingdom and one of the oldest Chinese communities in all of Europe. It is also known for having a large Irish and Welsh population, which has given the city its playful nickname of “the capital of North Wales”.