UK public data, by local authority district
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The population stood at 196,398 in 2025. That is 0.8% higher than a year earlier. That is the highest value in the published series, which begins in 1991.

Why the caveats matter

Every figure carries the publisher's own caveats. Where a statistic is published for a wider area than the one you clicked, or where the publisher itself flags it as unreliable, the page says so rather than quietly rounding it off.

The UK's four nations publish separately, so some figures stop at a border: house sale prices cover England and Wales, road collisions Great Britain. Pupil absence is published for England, but not every English district individually — some are reported only as part of their wider county. An area with fewer datasets isn't missing data — either its nation publishes that statistic through a different body, or (pupil absence only) its own district isn't reported separately.

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Population estimate — Bedford

196,398, latest 2025 (+0.8% year on year, from 194,881).

The population stood at 196,398 in 2025. That is 0.8% higher than a year earlier. That is the highest value in the published series, which begins in 1991. Its low point was 135,443 in 1991; the latest reading is 45% above that.

Show the numbers (35 periods)
Population estimate — Bedford, every published period
PeriodValue
2025196,398
2024194,881
2023191,452
2022187,805
2021185,796
2020182,346
2019180,651
2018178,288
2017175,537
2016173,703
2015170,149
2014166,856
2013163,672
2012160,344
2011157,840
2010156,535
2009154,808
2008154,164
2007153,107
2006152,346
2005151,747
2004151,308
2003150,684
2002149,589
2001148,113
2000146,146
1999143,765
1998141,556
1997139,990
1996138,023
1995137,231
1994137,006
1993136,991
1992136,858
1991135,443

What these terms mean

Mid-year estimate
A modelled count of the population on 30 June, updated between censuses. It is an estimate, not a headcount. Source
Local authority district
The council area a statistic is published for -- 361 across the UK. In England these are boroughs, districts and unitary authorities; in Scotland, council areas; in Wales, principal areas; in Northern Ireland, districts.

Before you use these figures

  • Mid-year estimate, not a census count: This is a modelled mid-year (30 June) estimate, not a direct headcount. It is rebased periodically against the latest UK census results -- the current series was rebased to the 2021/2022 censuses, replacing previously published estimates for 2011 to 2022. Figures for the same year can therefore change between publications as later data becomes available.
  • Unrounded, but not precise to the individual: Figures are published unrounded to enable further calculation, but ONS is explicit that small estimates should not be read as accurate to a specific person -- they are produced using statistical models and disclosure-control methods, not a direct count.

Cite this figure:

Population estimate — Bedford
196,398 for Bedford, 2025
Caveats: Mid-year estimate, not a census count; Unrounded, but not precise to the individual
StatsMapped last confirmed this figure unchanged on 5 Sep 2026.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Population Estimates (via Nomis)
https://statsmapped.com/united-kingdom/local-authority/bedford/population-estimate

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