Liverpool, United Kingdom Population

Population in Urban Area, now

914,719
  • World: 673rd
  • Europe: 65th
  • United Kingdom: 7th

Population in City Area, 2021-07-25

864,122
  • World: 424th
  • Europe: 46th
  • United Kingdom: 3rd

Liverpool Urban Area Population Graph

Liverpool Population Review

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”.

Review Updated: July 26, 2020

Liverpool Urban Area Population History

1950 1,382,000
1951 1,382,000
1952 1,383,000
1953 1,383,000
1954 1,383,000
1955 1,383,000
1956 1,383,000
1957 1,384,000
1958 1,384,000
1959 1,384,000
1960 1,384,000
1961 1,382,000
1962 1,370,000
1963 1,358,000
1964 1,346,000
1965 1,334,000
1966 1,322,000
1967 1,310,000
1968 1,299,000
1969 1,287,000
1970 1,276,000
1971 1,262,000
1972 1,239,000
1973 1,216,000
1974 1,194,000
1975 1,171,000
1976 1,150,000
1977 1,128,000
1978 1,108,000
1979 1,087,000
1980 1,067,000
1981 1,047,000
1982 1,028,000
1983 1,009,000
1984 990,000
1985 972,000
1986 954,000
1987 936,000
1988 919,000
1989 902,000
1990 885,000
1991 872,000
1992 870,000
1993 868,000
1994 865,000
1995 863,000
1996 861,000
1997 859,000
1998 857,000
1999 855,000
2000 853,000
2001 851,000
2002 852,000
2003 854,000
2004 855,000
2005 856,000
2006 858,000
2007 859,000
2008 860,000
2009 862,000
2010 863,000
2011 865,000
2012 869,000
2013 873,000
2014 877,000
2015 881,000
2016 885,000
2017 889,000
2018 893,000
2019 897,000
2020 902,000
2021 906,000
2022 912,000
2023 917,000
2024 923,000

Liverpool Urban Area Population Projections

2025 929,000
2026 935,000
2027 942,000
2028 948,000
2029 955,000
2030 961,000
2031 968,000
2032 974,000
2033 980,000
2034 986,000
2035 992,000

Map of Liverpool, United Kingdom

All Biggest Cities in the United Kingdom