UK public data, by local authority district
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The population stood at 259,230 in 2025. That is 0.5% lower than a year earlier.

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 — Southampton

259,230, latest 2025 (-0.5% year on year, from 260,604).

The population stood at 259,230 in 2025. That is 0.5% lower than a year earlier. The series peaked at 260,604 in 2024; the latest figure is 0.5% below that peak. Its low point was 204,752 in 1991; the latest reading is 27% above that.

Show the numbers (35 periods)
Population estimate — Southampton, every published period
PeriodValue
2025259,230
2024260,604
2023258,617
2022252,949
2021247,672
2020248,679
2019249,428
2018250,803
2017250,492
2016248,662
2015244,666
2014241,230
2013239,484
2012238,097
2011235,870
2010233,085
2009230,017
2008228,447
2007227,223
2006226,698
2005226,655
2004223,589
2003221,989
2002220,459
2001219,539
2000217,273
1999216,057
1998215,530
1997213,689
1996212,924
1995211,178
1994209,126
1993206,489
1992205,428
1991204,752

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 — Southampton
259,230 for Southampton, 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/southampton/population-estimate

See every dataset published for Southampton

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