UK public data, by local authority district
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The population stood at 287,070 in 2025. That is 0.1% higher 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 — Sunderland

287,070, latest 2025 (+0.1% year on year, from 286,696).

The population stood at 287,070 in 2025. That is 0.1% higher than a year earlier. The series peaked at 296,882 in 1993; the latest figure is 3.3% below that peak. Its low point was 273,583 in 2020; the latest reading is 5% above that.

Show the numbers (35 periods)
Population estimate — Sunderland, every published period
PeriodValue
2025287,070
2024286,696
2023282,669
2022277,637
2021274,378
2020273,583
2019274,277
2018274,339
2017274,816
2016275,490
2015275,408
2014275,751
2013275,247
2012275,317
2011275,330
2010275,980
2009276,209
2008276,812
2007277,834
2006278,370
2005279,199
2004280,113
2003281,528
2002283,037
2001284,601
2000285,720
1999287,527
1998289,709
1997290,804
1996292,268
1995293,891
1994295,295
1993296,882
1992296,325
1991295,896

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 — Sunderland
287,070 for Sunderland, 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/sunderland/population-estimate

See every dataset published for Sunderland

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