Manchester, United Kingdom Population

Population in Urban Area, now

2,775,389
  • World: 192nd
  • Europe: 13th
  • United Kingdom: 2nd

Population in City Area, 2021-07-25

395,515
  • World: 920th
  • Europe: 133rd
  • United Kingdom: 11th

Manchester Urban Area Population Graph

Manchester Population Review

Manchester is a large city in the northwest of England in the United Kingdom. It has a population of 2.7 million people in the urban area and 396 thousand people in the city area. After a stagnant population growth and even a drop in the 1990s, Manchester has seen a strong increase in population—going from its lowest number of 2.2 million in 1991, to its current population of 2.7 million. By 2035, the city is predicted to have a population of just over 3 million people.

Manchester has a rich industrial heritage, especially pertaining to the Second World War, and a fascinating scientific history. The city is landlocked and has multiple centers for post-secondary education, many of which have been the site of monumental scientific discoveries.

A founding city of football

Manchester is a city dedicated to football. The city has two Premier League clubs (Manchester United and Manchester City). Both clubs have highly localised fan bases with seasonal ticket holders mostly coming nearby areas. While football is a sport enjoyed by millions of people around the world, the first professional football league was actually established in Manchester is 1888 at the Royal Hotel in Manchester. Manchester also hosts many smaller, semi-pro and amateur clubs and the city’s football stadiums accommodate up to 122,000 people combined.

Manchester’s place in football’s history is so established that the city even has the National Football Museum in the city center. Its task is to preserve, conserve and display important or historical memorabilia related to football.

A city of scientific discovery

Manchester has been the location of many major, world-changing scientific discoveries. The law of thermodynamics was discovered there in 1850 by James Prescott Joule, as well as the first splitting of the atom, which occurred at Manchester University in the early 20th century. The splitting of the atom led to the birth of nuclear physics. It is also the place where graphene was invented. Graphene is a textile that is made of a single layer of carbon atoms arrange hexagonally that is 100 times stronger than steel while being much lighter and more flexible. Manchester University is also the location where the computer was invented, and the university can boast 25 Nobel prize winners and counting.

Demographics of Manchester

Much of the area surrounding Manchester and the Greater Manchester area are predominantly white. However, the City of Manchester has the highest population of non-whites of any other area in the district. In 2011, Manchester’s demographics showed that 66.7% of the population identified as white (with 59% identifying as White British, 2.4% as White Irish, and 0.1% as Irish Traveller or Gypsy). There was another 4.7% of the population that were of mixed race (white and black Caribbean, or white and black African, or some other mix). There was also a generous population of Asian people in the City of Manchester, with just over 17% of the population identifying as either Pakistani, Chinese, Indian, Bangladeshi, or other Asian. Black people make up 8.6% of the City of Manchester’s population, and 1.9% are Arab. Manchester also has the largest Jewish population in Britain outside of London.

Several areas throughout the city serve as the center for ethnic minorities, including a Chinatown with the third-largest Chinese population in all of Europe, and sections of the city such as Cheetham Hill, Moss Side, Rusholme, and Longsight.

A UNESCO City of Literature

Manchester was awarded the distinction of being considered a UNESCO City of Literature. The city is home to the United Kingdom’s oldest lending library and is the birthplace of notable writers Elizabeth Gaskell and Anthony Burgess. This title is awarded to cities that are dedicated to pursuing excellence in local literature, which Manchester has a long history of doing. There are over 169 notable authors (either directors, fiction, academic or business) that hail from Manchester.

Review Updated: September 7, 2020

Manchester Urban Area Population History

1950 2,422,000
1951 2,423,000
1952 2,423,000
1953 2,424,000
1954 2,424,000
1955 2,425,000
1956 2,425,000
1957 2,426,000
1958 2,426,000
1959 2,427,000
1960 2,427,000
1961 2,427,000
1962 2,424,000
1963 2,420,000
1964 2,417,000
1965 2,413,000
1966 2,410,000
1967 2,406,000
1968 2,403,000
1969 2,399,000
1970 2,396,000
1971 2,392,000
1972 2,386,000
1973 2,381,000
1974 2,375,000
1975 2,370,000
1976 2,365,000
1977 2,359,000
1978 2,354,000
1979 2,348,000
1980 2,343,000
1981 2,337,000
1982 2,331,000
1983 2,325,000
1984 2,319,000
1985 2,313,000
1986 2,306,000
1987 2,300,000
1988 2,294,000
1989 2,288,000
1990 2,282,000
1991 2,279,000
1992 2,286,000
1993 2,294,000
1994 2,301,000
1995 2,308,000
1996 2,316,000
1997 2,323,000
1998 2,330,000
1999 2,338,000
2000 2,345,000
2001 2,355,000
2002 2,374,000
2003 2,394,000
2004 2,414,000
2005 2,434,000
2006 2,455,000
2007 2,475,000
2008 2,496,000
2009 2,517,000
2010 2,538,000
2011 2,558,000
2012 2,577,000
2013 2,595,000
2014 2,614,000
2015 2,633,000
2016 2,652,000
2017 2,671,000
2018 2,690,000
2019 2,710,000
2020 2,730,000
2021 2,750,000
2022 2,770,000
2023 2,791,000
2024 2,812,000

Manchester Urban Area Population Projections

2025 2,833,000
2026 2,853,000
2027 2,874,000
2028 2,894,000
2029 2,914,000
2030 2,934,000
2031 2,954,000
2032 2,973,000
2033 2,991,000
2034 3,010,000
2035 3,028,000

Map of Manchester, United Kingdom

All Biggest Cities in the United Kingdom