Population estimate — City of Edinburgh
531,370, latest 2025 (-0.1% year on year, from 532,070).
The population stood at 531,370 in 2025. That is 0.1% lower than a year earlier. The series peaked at 532,070 in 2024; the latest figure is 0.1% below that peak. Its low point was 436,320 in 1991; the latest reading is 22% above that.
Show the numbers (35 periods)
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 531,370 |
| 2024 | 532,070 |
| 2023 | 526,660 |
| 2022 | 514,570 |
| 2021 | 505,750 |
| 2020 | 509,550 |
| 2019 | 508,280 |
| 2018 | 503,920 |
| 2017 | 500,770 |
| 2016 | 496,200 |
| 2015 | 490,280 |
| 2014 | 485,270 |
| 2013 | 482,650 |
| 2012 | 480,420 |
| 2011 | 477,940 |
| 2010 | 469,930 |
| 2009 | 463,230 |
| 2008 | 458,520 |
| 2007 | 456,040 |
| 2006 | 452,040 |
| 2005 | 449,470 |
| 2004 | 445,870 |
| 2003 | 445,300 |
| 2002 | 447,500 |
| 2001 | 449,020 |
| 2000 | 448,430 |
| 1999 | 447,190 |
| 1998 | 446,240 |
| 1997 | 445,720 |
| 1996 | 444,910 |
| 1995 | 443,860 |
| 1994 | 440,120 |
| 1993 | 438,300 |
| 1992 | 436,670 |
| 1991 | 436,320 |
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 — 531,370 — 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 532,070, 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 — City of Edinburgh 531,370 for City of Edinburgh, 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/city-of-edinburgh/population-estimate
See every dataset published for City of Edinburgh
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