Population estimate — Bristol, City of
495,260, latest 2025 (+0.2% year on year, from 494,225).
The population stood at 495,260 in 2025. That is 0.2% higher than a year earlier. That is the highest value in the published series, which begins in 1991. Its low point was 389,163 in 1997; the latest reading is 27% above that.
Show the numbers (35 periods)
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 495,260 |
| 2024 | 494,225 |
| 2023 | 486,729 |
| 2022 | 479,802 |
| 2021 | 471,285 |
| 2020 | 471,851 |
| 2019 | 469,920 |
| 2018 | 467,026 |
| 2017 | 463,113 |
| 2016 | 459,588 |
| 2015 | 451,790 |
| 2014 | 443,834 |
| 2013 | 438,984 |
| 2012 | 433,264 |
| 2011 | 428,074 |
| 2010 | 423,044 |
| 2009 | 418,990 |
| 2008 | 414,822 |
| 2007 | 411,901 |
| 2006 | 408,428 |
| 2005 | 405,407 |
| 2004 | 395,743 |
| 2003 | 391,454 |
| 2002 | 389,735 |
| 2001 | 390,049 |
| 2000 | 390,446 |
| 1999 | 390,985 |
| 1998 | 389,398 |
| 1997 | 389,163 |
| 1996 | 389,196 |
| 1995 | 391,326 |
| 1994 | 390,996 |
| 1993 | 390,565 |
| 1992 | 390,607 |
| 1991 | 392,174 |
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.
- Not adjusted for population: This figure — 495,260 — is well outside the typical range for other areas currently publishing this dataset (median about 148,095 across 349 other areas). This is a raw count, not adjusted for population — a larger area is expected to report a larger number regardless of anything unusual happening there. Not itself a sign of a data problem.
- Not adjusted for population, 2024: This area's 2024 figure was 494,225, well outside the typical range for other areas that reported for 2024 (median about 148,242 across 360 other areas). This figure is a raw count, not adjusted for population — a larger area is expected to report a larger number regardless of anything unusual happening there. Not itself a sign of a data problem.
Cite this figure:
Population estimate — Bristol, City of 495,260 for Bristol, City of, 2025 Caveats: Mid-year estimate, not a census count; Unrounded, but not precise to the individual; Not adjusted for population; Not adjusted for population, 2024 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/bristol-city-of/population-estimate
See every dataset published for Bristol, City of
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