UK public data, by local authority district
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The population stood at 309,732 in 2025. That is 0.3% 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 — Bolton

309,732, latest 2025 (+0.3% year on year, from 308,904).

The population stood at 309,732 in 2025. That is 0.3% higher than a year earlier. That is the highest value in the published series, which begins in 1991. Its low point was 259,709 in 1997; the latest reading is 19% above that.

Show the numbers (35 periods)
Population estimate — Bolton, every published period
PeriodValue
2025309,732
2024308,904
2023304,761
2022299,591
2021296,169
2020295,712
2019294,888
2018291,594
2017289,684
2016287,253
2015284,972
2014283,212
2013281,629
2012279,738
2011277,296
2010275,168
2009273,049
2008270,497
2007268,319
2006266,816
2005265,016
2004264,511
2003263,814
2002262,367
2001261,302
2000260,183
1999260,396
1998260,882
1997259,709
1996260,056
1995260,872
1994261,493
1993261,885
1992261,586
1991261,349

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 — Bolton
309,732 for Bolton, 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/bolton/population-estimate

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