UK public data, by local authority district
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The population stood at 391,036 in 2025. That is 0.4% 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 — Dorset

391,036, latest 2025 (+0.4% year on year, from 389,341).

The population stood at 391,036 in 2025. That is 0.4% higher than a year earlier. That is the highest value in the published series, which begins in 1991. Its low point was 323,800 in 1991; the latest reading is 21% above that.

Show the numbers (35 periods)
Population estimate — Dorset, every published period
PeriodValue
2025391,036
2024389,341
2023385,934
2022383,191
2021381,245
2020377,670
2019377,699
2018375,604
2017374,675
2016372,416
2015370,728
2014368,694
2013367,651
2012366,572
2011365,897
2010364,317
2009363,567
2008364,085
2007363,069
2006359,806
2005357,679
2004355,305
2003353,367
2002350,487
2001346,596
2000344,877
1999340,914
1998340,020
1997338,202
1996336,132
1995333,664
1994330,274
1993326,896
1992325,535
1991323,800

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, 2005: This area's 2005 figure was 357,679, well outside the typical range for other areas that reported for 2005 (median about 131,022 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 — Dorset
391,036 for Dorset, 2025
Caveats: Mid-year estimate, not a census count; Unrounded, but not precise to the individual; Not adjusted for population, 2005
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/dorset/population-estimate

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