Demography of the United Kingdom

According to the 2011 UK Census, the total population of the United Kingdom was around 63,182,000. It is the 21st-most populated country in the world. Its overall population density is 259 people per square kilometre, with England having a significantly higher population density than Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Almost one-third of the population lives in England's southeast, which is predominantly urban and suburban, with about 9,000,000 in the capital city of London, the population density of which is just over 5,200 per square kilometre.
The population of the United Kingdom is considered an example of a population that has undergone demographic transition – that is, the transition from a pre-industrial population with high birth and mortality rates and slow population growth, through a stage of falling mortality and faster rates of population growth, to a stage of low birth and mortality rates with, again, lower rates of population growth. This population growth through 'natural change' has been accompanied in the past two decades by growth through net international migration into the United Kingdom.
The United Kingdom's high literacy rate is attributable to universal public education introduced for the primary level in 1870 and secondary level in 1900. Parents are obliged to have their children educated from the ages of 5–16 years, and can continue education free of charge in the form of A-Levels, vocational training or apprenticeship until the age of 18. The Church of England and the Church of Scotland function as the national churches in their respective countries, but all the major religions found in the world are represented in the United Kingdom.
The United Kingdom's population is predominantly White British. Being located close to continental Europe, the countries that formed the United Kingdom were subject to many invasions and migrations from the continent, especially from Scandinavia, and including Roman occupation for several centuries. Historically, British people were therefore thought to be descended mainly from the different ethnic stocks that settled there before the 11th century: pre-Celtic, Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Viking and Norman. However, recent genetic testing has revealed that these migrations contributed very little to the British genepool, with around 80% of white British DNA coming from an ancestral population who settled in the British Isles 12,000 years ago.
Celtic languages are spoken in Scotland, Cornwall, and Northern Ireland, but the predominant language overall is English. In North and West Wales, Welsh is widely spoken as a first language, but less so in the South East of the country, where English is typically the first choice.

History

had an estimated population between 2.8 million and 3 million at the end of the second century CE. At the end of the fourth century, it had an estimated population of 3.6 million, of whom 125,000 consisted of the Roman army and their families and dependents. The urban population of Roman Britain was about 240,000 people at the end of the fourth century. Roman Britain's capital city, Londinium, is estimated to have had a population of about 60,000. Londinium was a diverse city, with inhabitants from across the Roman Empire, including natives of Britannia and Romans who were raised in continental Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. There was also cultural diversity in other Roman-British towns, which were sustained by considerable colonial migration, both within Britannia and from other Roman territories, including North Africa, Roman Syria, the Eastern Mediterranean, and continental Europe.
During the Industrial Revolution, child mortality decreased dramatically. The proportion of children born in London who died before the age of five decreased from 74.5 per thousand in 1730–1749 to 31.8 per thousand in 1810–1829. According to Robert Hughes in The Fatal Shore, the population of England and Wales, which had remained steady at 6 million from 1700 to 1740, rose dramatically after 1740.
The first Census in 1801 revealed that the population of Great Britain was 10.5 million. In 1800, the population of Ireland was between 4.5 and 5.5 million.
The 1841 UK Census counted the population of England and Wales to be 15.9 million. Ireland's population was 8.2 million in 1841. The population of Scotland was 2.6 million.
The Great Irish Famine, which began in the 1840s, caused the deaths of one million Irish people, and caused well over a million to emigrate. Mass emigration became entrenched as a result of the famine, and the population continued to decline until the mid-20th century.
The population of England had almost doubled from 16.8 million in 1851 to 30.5 million in 1901. Ireland's population decreased rapidly, from 8.2 million in 1841 to less than 4.5 million in 1901.

Population

in an area of 228,956 km²
The United Kingdom Office for National Statistics' 2016-based National Population Projections indicated that, if recent trends continue, the UK's population would increase by 3.6 million between mid-2016 and mid-2026. This represents an average annual growth rate of 0.5%. Over the same period, the population of England is projected to grow by 5.9%; for Wales, this figure is 3.1%, while for Scotland and Northern Ireland the figures are 3.2% and 4.2% respectively. These projections do not allow for any possible effects of the UK leaving the European Union.
There are 13 urban areas that exceed 500,000 inhabitants: they are centred on London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds and Bradford, Southampton and Portsmouth, Sheffield, Liverpool, Leicester, Manchester, Belfast, Bristol, Newcastle upon Tyne and Nottingham.
The population of the UK in the 2011 census was 63 million, of whom 31 million were male and 32 million female. The 2011 census recorded the population of England as 53.0 million, Scotland as 5.3 million, Wales as 3.1 million, and Northern Ireland as 1.8 million.

Population change over time

The following table shows the total UK population estimated at census dates. Pre 1901 figures include the whole of Ireland, whereas from 1901 onwards only the population of Northern Ireland is included.
* and possibly other changes
In 2015, there were 777,165 recorded live births in the UK. The crude birth rate was 11.9 per 1,000 population. The total fertility rate was 1.80. Also in 2015, 602,782 deaths were recorded, with the crude death rate being 9.3 per 1,000. The infant mortality rate was 3.9 per 1,000 live births.
Population density based on:

Post-1901: calculated 243,820 km² area of the United Kingdom based on its current boundaries.
Pre-1901: As above plus calculated 70,273 km² area of the Republic of Ireland.
Vital statistics

Total fertility rate (1552–1899)

The total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman. It is based on fairly good data for the entire period. Sources: Our World In Data and Gapminder Foundation. Note: To see every year from 1552 see the reference link.

Years	1552	1556	1560	1565	1570	1575	1580	1590	1595	1600	1605	1610	1615	1620	1625	1630	1640	1650
Total Fertility Rate	5.12	4.78	4.7	5.31	4.64	4.48	4.62	4.25	4.47	4.63	4.79	4.47	4.51	4.78	4.35	4.45	4.71	3.49

Years	1760	1765	1770	1775	1780	1785	1790	1795	1797	1799	1800
Total Fertility Rate	4.56	4.81	4.98	4.96	4.9	5.09	5.35	5.21	5.4	5.11	4.97

Years	1811	1812	1813	1814	1815	1816	1817	1818	1819	1820
Total Fertility Rate	5.43	5.31	5.45	5.46	6.02	5.73	5.69	5.54	5.45	5.4

Years	1831	1832	1833	1834	1835	1836	1837	1838	1839	1840
Total Fertility Rate	4.78	4.78	5	4.89	4.83	4.86	4.79	4.78	4.93	4.9

Years	1851	1852	1853	1854	1855	1856	1857	1858	1859	1860
Total Fertility Rate	4.94	4.94	4.78	4.89	4.85	4.94	4.9	4.79	4.97	4.86

Years	1871	1872	1873	1874	1875	1876	1877	1878	1879	1880
Total Fertility Rate	4.85	4.89	4.94	4.93	4.92	4.9	4.89	4.88	4.81	4.75

Years	1891	1892	1893	1894	1895	1896	1897	1898	1899
Total Fertility Rate	4	3.95	3.9	3.84	3.79	3.73	3.68	3.62	3.58

Vital statistics (1900–2019)

	Average population	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate	Crude death rate	Natural change	Total fertility rate
1900		1,089,487	695,867	393,620				3.53
1901		1,092,781	655,646	437,135				3.49
1902		1,103,483	636,650	466,833				3.44
1903		1,113,086	613,726	499,360				3.40
1904		1,109,542	651,301	458,241				3.35
1905		1,092,108	617,516	474,592				3.30
1906		1,098,475	629,955	468,520				3.24
1907		1,077,851	625,271	452,580				3.19
1908		1,102,345	621,427	480,918				3.14
1909		1,073,781	614,910	458,871				3.07
1910		1,051,240	578,091	473,149				2.99
1911		1,033,395	620,828	412,567				2.92
1912		1,025,828	580,977	444,851				2.90
1913		1,032,286	600,554	431,732				2.93
1914		1,032,734	611,970	420,764				2.88
1915		956,877	666,322	290,555				2.59
1916		922,085	599,621	322,464				2.60
1917		790,736	589,416	201,320				2.10
1918		787,427	715,246	72,181				2.03
1919		826,202	602,188	224,014				2.31
1920		1,126,849	555,326	571,523				3.08
1921		1,001,725	544,140	457,585				2.69
1922		924,740	579,480	345,260				2.44
1923		900,130	526,858	373,272				2.38
1924		865,329	563,891	301,438				2.28
1925		842,405	558,132	284,273				2.20
1926		825,174	536,411	288,763				2.15
1927		777,520	568,655	208,865				2.01
1928		783,052	543,664	239,388				2.01
1929		761,963	623,231	138,732				1.95
1930		769,239	536,860	232,379				1.95
1931		749,974	573,908	176,066				1.89
1932		730,079	567,986	162,093				1.83
1933		691,560	579,467	112,093				1.72
1934		711,483	558,072	153,411				1.76
1935		711,426	561,324	150,102				1.75
1936		720,129	580,942	139,187				1.77
1937		723,779	597,798	125,981				1.79
1938		735,573	559,598	175,975	15.5			1.84
1939		726,632	581,857	144,775	15.2			1.84
1940		701,875	673,253	28,622	15.2			1.74
1941		695,726	627,378	68,348	15.5			1.72
1942		771,851	562,356	209,495	17.4			1.93
1943		810,524	585,582	224,942	18.5			2.03
1944		878,298	573,570	303,728	20.1			2.25
1945		795,868	567,027	228,841	18.1			2.05
1946		955,266	573,361	381,905	20.3			2.47
1947		1,025,427	600,728	424,699	21.2			2.69
1948		905,182	546,002	359,180	18.2			2.39
1949		855,298	589,876	265,422	17.1			2.26
1950	50,150,000	818,421	590,136	228,285	16.3	11.8	4.6	2.08
1951	50,286,900	796,645	632,786	163,859	15.8	12.6	3.3	2.10
1952	50,429,200	792,917	573,806	219,111	15.7	11.4	4.3	2.15
1953	50,592,900	804,269	577,220	227,049	15.9	11.4	4.5	2.20
1954	50,764,900	794,769	578,400	216,369	15.7	11.4	4.3	2.26
1955	50,946,100	789,315	595,916	193,399	15.5	11.7	3.8	2.33
1956	51,183,500	825,137	597,981	227,156	16.1	11.7	4.4	2.40
1957	51,430,200	851,466	591,200	260,266	16.6	11.5	5.1	2.48
1958	51,652,500	870,497	604,040	266,457	16.9	11.7	5.2	2.55
1959	51,956,300	878,561	606,115	272,446	16.9	11.7	5.2	2.63
1960	52,372,500	918,286	603,328	314,958	17.5	11.5	6.0	2.71
1961	52,807,400	944,365	631,788	312,577	17.9	12.0	5.9	2.78
1962	53,291,800	975,635	636,051	339,584	18.3	11.9	6.4	2.87
1963	53,624,900	990,160	654,288	335,872	18.5	12.2	6.3	2.90
1964	53,990,800	1,014,672	611,130	403,542	18.8	11.3	7.5	2.95
1965	54,349,500	997,275	627,798	369,477	18.3	11.6	6.8	2.88
1966	54,642,700	979,587	643,754	335,833	17.9	11.8	6.1	2.80
1967	54,959,000	961,800	616,710	345,090	17.5	11.2	6.3	2.69
1968	55,213,500	947,231	655,998	291,233	17.2	11.9	5.3	2.61
1969	55,460,600	920,256	659,537	260,719	16.6	11.9	4.7	2.51
1970	55,632,200	903,907	655,385	248,522	16.2	11.8	4.5	2.44
1971	55,928,000	901,648	645,078	256,570	16.1	11.5	4.6	2.40
1972	56,096,000	833,984	673,938	160,046	14.9	12.0	2.9	2.20
1973	56,223,000	779,545	669,692	109,853	13.9	11.9	2.0	2.03
1974	56,235,000	737,138	667,359	69,779	13.1	11.9	1.2	1.92
1975	56,225,000	697,518	662,477	35,041	12.4	11.8	0.6	1.81
1976	56,216,000	675,526	680,799	-5,273	12.0	12.1	-0.1	1.74
1977	56,189,000	657,038	655,143	1,895	11.7	11.7	0.0	1.69
1978	56,178,000	686,952	667,177	19,775	12.2	11.9	0.4	1.75
1979	56,240,000	734,572	675,576	58,996	13.1	12.0	1.0	1.86
1980	56,329,000	753,708	661,519	92,189	13.4	11.7	1.6	1.90
1981	56,357,000	730,712	657,974	72,738	13.0	11.7	1.3	1.82
1982	56,290,000	718,999	662,081	56,918	12.8	11.8	1.0	1.78
1983	56,315,000	721,238	659,101	62,137	12.8	11.7	1.1	1.77
1984	56,409,000	729,401	644,918	84,483	12.9	11.4	1.5	1.77
1985	56,554,000	750,520	670,656	79,864	13.3	11.9	1.4	1.79
1986	56,683,000	754,805	660,735	94,070	13.3	11.7	1.7	1.78
1987	56,804,000	775,405	644,342	131,063	13.7	11.3	2.3	1.81
1988	56,916,000	787,303	649,178	138,125	13.8	11.4	2.4	1.82
1989	57,076,000	777,036	657,733	119,303	13.6	11.5	2.1	1.79
1990	57,237,000	798,364	641,799	156,565	13.9	11.2	2.7	1.83
1991	57,438,000	792,269	646,181	146,088	13.8	11.3	2.5	1.82
1992	57,584,000	780,779	634,238	146,541	13.6	11.0	2.5	1.79
1993	57,713,000	761,526	658,194	103,332	13.2	11.4	1.8	1.76
1994	57,862,000	750,480	626,222	124,258	13.0	10.8	2.1	1.74
1995	58,024,000	731,882	641,712	90,170	12.6	11.1	1.6	1.71
1996	58,164,000	733,163	638,879	94,284	12.6	11.0	1.6	1.73
1997	58,314,000	726,622	632,517	94,105	12.5	10.8	1.6	1.72
1998	58,474,000	716,888	627,592	89,296	12.3	10.7	1.5	1.71
1999	58,684,000	699,976	629,476	70,500	11.9	10.7	1.2	1.68
2000	58,886,000	679,029	610,579	68,450	11.5	10.4	1.2	1.64
2001	59,113,000	669,123	604,393	64,730	11.3	10.2	1.1	1.63
2002	59,365,000	668,777	608,045	60,732	11.3	10.2	1.0	1.63
2003	59,636,000	695,549	612,085	83,464	11.7	10.3	1.4	1.70
2004	59,950,000	715,996	584,791	131,205	11.9	9.8	2.2	1.77
2005	60,413,000	722,549	582,964	139,585	12.0	9.6	2.3	1.76
2006	60,827,000	748,563	572,224	176,339	12.3	9.4	2.9	1.82
2007	61,319,000	772,245	574,687	197,558	12.6	9.4	3.2	1.87
2008	61,823,000	794,383	579,697	214,686	12.8	9.4	3.5	1.96
2009	62,260,000	790,204	559,617	230,587	12.7	9.0	3.7	1.89
2010	62,759,000	807,721	561,666	246,055	12.9	8.9	3.9	1.92
2011	63,285,000	807,776	552,232	255,544	12.8	8.7	4.0	1.91
2012	63,705,000	812,970	569,024	243,946	12.8	8.9	3.8	1.92
2013	64,105,000	778,803	575,458	203,345	12.1	9.0	3.2	1.83
2014	64,596,000	776,352	570,341	206,011	12.0	8.8	3.2	1.82
2015	65,110,000	777,165	602,782	174,383	11.9	9.3	2.7	1.80
2016	65,648,000	774,835	595,659	179,176	11.8	9.1	2.7	1.79
2017	66,040,200	755,066	607,172	147,894	11.4	9.2	2.2	1.74
2018	66,436,000	731,213	616,014	115,199	11.0	9.3	1.7	1.68
2019	66,797,000	712,699	604,707	107,992	10.7	9.1	1.6	1.63

Life expectancy (1543–1950)

Sources: Our World In Data and the United Nations.
1543-1950

Years	1543	1548	1553	1558	1563	1568	1573	1578	1583	1588	1593	1603	1608	1613	1618	1623	1628	1633
Life expectancy	33.9	38.8	39.6	22.4	36.7	39.7	41.1	41.6	42.7	37.1	38.1	38.5	39.6	36.8	40.3	33.4	39.7	39.7

Years	1733	1738	1743	1748	1753	1758	1763	1768	1773	1778	1783	1788	1793	1798	1803	1808	1813	1818
Life expectancy	36.3	35.3	34.3	36.5	39.8	38.1	35.4	36.2	39.1	37.7	35.8	39.0	37.9	38.9	40.0	40.6	41.3	40.8

Years	1851	1852	1853	1854	1855	1856	1857	1858	1859	1860
Life expectancy	41.0	40.4	40.0	39.5	40.7	42.5	40.9	39.5	40.4	41.9

Years	1871	1872	1873	1874	1875	1876	1877	1878	1879	1880
Life expectancy	41.1	42.7	43.3	42.1	41.5	42.7	43.7	42.0	43.5	43.0

Years	1891	1892	1893	1894	1895	1896	1897	1898	1899	1900
Life expectancy	44.4	45.6	44.7	48.3	45.4	47.1	46.4	46.1	45.2	45.6

Years	1911	1912	1913	1914	1915	1916	1917	1918	1919	1920
Life expectancy	51.2	54.3	53.4	53.2	51.2	54.2	54.2	47.3	54.3	57.3

Years	1931	1932	1933	1934	1935	1936	1937	1938	1939	1940
Life expectancy	60.0	60.5	60.6	61.3	62.0	61.8	62.3	63.2	63.6	60.9

1950-2015

Years	1950–1955	1955–1960
Life expectancy	69.4	70.6
Years	1960–1965	1965–1970
Life expectancy	71.0	71.7
Years	1970–1975	1975–1980
Life expectancy	72.3	73.0
Years	1980–1985	1985–1990
Life expectancy	74.2	75.1
Years	1990–1995	1995–2000
Life expectancy	76.3	77.2
Years	2000–2005	2005–2010
Life expectancy	78.4	79.7
Years	2010–2015
Life expectancy	81.0

Source: UN World Population Prospects

Age structure

The key features of the age distribution profile for the UK population, as measured in the 2011 Census, were summarised in December 2012 by the Office for National Statistics in terms of peaks and wide bands of the pyramid reflecting high numbers of births in previous years, particularly for people aged 60–64 born following the Second World War and those aged 40–49, born during the 1960s baby boom. There is a smaller number of children aged five to nine years than ten years ago, which is a consequence of low numbers of births at the beginning of the 21st century, and the broadening of the pyramid in the 0–4 years category is due to higher numbers of births in recent years. At higher ages, females outnumber males, reflecting the higher life expectancy of females. At lower ages, there are more males than females, reflecting that there are slightly more boys than girls born each year.
The most recent UK Office for National Statistics' population estimates for mid-2016 suggest the median age of the UK population was 40.0 years.
In 2015, there were estimated to be over half a million people aged 90 and over living in the UK, up from 194,670 people in 1985, and there were estimated to be 14,570 centenarians and 850 people aged 105 or over.
The UK Office for National Statistics' 2016-based National Population Projections suggest that the UK population will continue to age, with the number of people aged 85 and over doubling from 1.6 million in mid-2016 to 3.2 million in mid-2041.

Ages	1976	1986	2016
0–15 years	24.5	20.5	18.9
16–64 years	61.2	64.1	63.1
65 years and over	14.2	15.4	18.0

Ages attained	Population	% of total
0–4	3,914,000	6.2
5–9	3,517,000	5.6
10–14	3,670,000	5.8
15–19	3,997,000	6.3
20–24	4,297,000	6.8
25–29	4,307,000	6.8
30–34	4,126,000	6.5
35–39	4,194,000	6.6
40–44	4,626,000	7.3
45–49	4,643,000	7.3
50–54	4,095,000	6.5
55–59	3,614,000	5.7
60–64	3,807,000	6.0
65–69	3,017,000	4.8
70–74	2,463,000	3.9
75–79	2,006,000	3.2
80–84	1,496,000	2.4
85–89	918,000	1.5
90+	476,000	0.8

Social issues

Fertility

In 2012, the UK's total fertility rate was 1.92 children per woman, below the replacement rate, which in the UK is 2.075. In 2001, the TFR was at a record low of 1.63, but it then increased every year until it reached a peak of 1.96 in 2008, before decreasing again. The TFR was considerably higher during the 1960s 'baby boom', peaking at 2.95 children per woman in 1964. In 2012 and 2013, England and Wales's TFR decreased to 1.85. In Scotland however TFR is lower: it decreased from 1.75 in 2010 to 1.67 in 2012. Northern Ireland has the highest TFR in the UK, standing at 2.02 in 2010 and 2.03 in 2012.
In 2014, 27% of births were to mothers born outside the UK, a 0.5 point increase since 2013. The 2014 fertility rate was higher for foreign-born mothers than UK-born mothers. In the 2010–14 time period, the most common countries of birth for mothers were Poland, Pakistan and India; and Poland and India for fathers. Within the UK, Newham, London had the highest rate of births to non-UK mothers and Torfaen, Wales the lowest.
Below is the number of births in England and Wales in 2011 by mother's country of birth, as well as their total fertility rate.

Country of birth	Births	TFR
	539,364	1,84
	20,495	2,13
	18,434	3,82
	14,892	2,35
	8,371	3,25
	7,476	3,32
	5,654	4,19
	5,108	1,74
	4,430	1,79
	3,788	2,29
	3,611	1,76
	3,497	2,93
	3,431	2,62
	3,328	3,24
	3,317	1,83
	2,941	1,56
	2,870	1,66
	2,837	1,83
	2,775	4,25
	2,538	1,41
	2,412	3,91
Others	62,344	-
Total	723,913	1,9

Death rate and cause

	First cause	Second cause
Male	Ischaemic heart disease	Dementia and Alzheimer's disease
Female	Dementia and Alzheimer's disease	Ischaemic heart disease

Other demographics statistics

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2019.

One birth every 39 seconds
One death every 52 seconds
Net gain of one person every minute
One net migrant every 3 minutes

Demographic statistics according to the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.
;Population:
constituent countries:
;Age structure:
;Median age:
;Birth rate:
;Death rate:
;Total fertility rate:
;Population growth rate:
;Ethnic groups:
white 87.2%, black/African/Caribbean/black British 3%, Asian/Asian British: Indian 2.3%, Asian/Asian British: Pakistani 1.9%, mixed 2%, other 3.7%
;Net migration rate:
;Mother's mean age at first birth:
;Life expectancy at birth:
;Religions:
Christian 59.5%, Muslim 4.4%, Hindu 1.3%, other 2%, unspecified 7.2%, none 25.7%
;Urbanization:
;Dependency ratios:
;Infant mortality rate:
;Sex ratio:
;School life expectancy :
;Unemployment, youth ages 15–24:

LGBT

There are known difficulties in producing reliable estimates of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population.
The Integrated Household Survey, published by the Office for National Statistics, provides the following estimates for the adult UK population as of 2011:

1.1 percent identify as gay or lesbian.
0.4 percent identify as bisexual.
0.3 percent identify as "other".
3.6 percent of those surveyed replied "don't know" or refused to answer the question.
0.6 percent of those surveyed provided "no response" to the question.
An estimated 2.7 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds in the UK identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual compared with 0.4 percent of those aged over 65.

Other sources provide alternative estimates of the population by sexual orientation. For example, one British journal published in 2004 estimated that approximately 5% of the British population is gay. A government figure estimated in 2005 that there are 3.6 million gay people in Britain comprising 6 percent of the population., though a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission described that estimate as 'of questionable validity' when set against available survey estimates.
The Gender Identity Research and Education Society estimated in 2009 that "56,000 might potentially be transsexual people", noting that it is very difficult to make a reliable estimate. This would be 0.09% of the population at the time.

Country of birth

Below are the 60 largest foreign-born groups in the UK according to 2019 ONS estimates.

Rank	Country of birth	Population
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60

Ethnicity

Note:

Religion

The traditional religion in the United Kingdom is Christianity. In England the established church is the Church of England. In Scotland, the Church of Scotland is regarded as the 'national church' but there is not an established church.
In Wales there is no established church, with the Church in Wales having been disestablished in 1920. Likewise, in Ireland the Church of Ireland was disestablished in 1871. In Northern Ireland and similarly in parts of Scotland, there is a degree of sectarian divide between Roman Catholic and Protestant communities.
The table below shows data regarding religion for the 2001 and 2011 censuses:
In the 2011 Census, rather than select one of the specified religions offered on the Census form, many people chose to write in their own religion. Some of these religions were reassigned to one of the main religions offered. In England and Wales, 241,000 people belonged to religious groups which did not fall into any of the main religions. The largest of these were Pagans and Spiritualists. The census also recorded 177,000 people stating their religion as Jedi Knight. These returns were classified as "No religion", along with Atheist, Agnostic, Heathen and those who ticked "Other" but did not write in any religion.
In 2012 the British Social Attitudes Survey found the highest number to be non-religious followed by Christians with another six percent identifying otherwise. Discrepancies found between surveys may be the result of differences in phrasing, question order, and data collection method.

Languages

The United Kingdom's de facto official language is English which is spoken as a first language by 95% of the population. Six regional languages; Scots, Ulster-Scots, Welsh, Cornish, Irish and Scottish Gaelic are protected under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Abilities in these languages for those aged three and above were recorded in the UK census 2011 as follows.
Cornish is spoken by around 2,500 people. In the 2011 census 464 respondents aged three and over in Cornwall said that Cornish was their main language, amounting to 0.09% of the total population of Cornwall aged three and over.
After English, Polish was the second most common language given in the United Kingdom census 2011. 618,091 respondents aged three and over said that Polish was their main language, amounting to 1.01% of the total population of the United Kingdom aged three and over.
The French language is spoken in some parts of the Channel Islands although the islands, like the Isle of Man, are not part of the United Kingdom.
British Sign Language is also common.

National identity

Respondents to the 2011 UK census gave their national identities as follows.

Education

Each country of the United Kingdom has a separate education system, with power over education matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland being devolved.
The Secretary of State for Education is responsible to the UK Parliament for education in England. Depending on the status of state schools, control of day-to-day administration and funding may be the responsibility of either the local education authorities or the school's own governing institution. Universal state education in England and Wales was introduced for primary level in 1870 and secondary level in 1900. Education is mandatory from ages 5 to 18, raised from 16 in 2013. The majority of children are educated in state-sector schools, only a small proportion of which select on the grounds of academic ability. Despite a fall in actual numbers, the proportion of children in England attending private schools rose slightly from 7.1% to 7.3% between 2004 and 2007.
Just over half of students at the leading universities of Cambridge and Oxford had attended state schools. State schools that are allowed to select pupils according to intelligence and academic ability can achieve comparable results to the most selective private schools: out of the top ten performing schools in terms of GCSE results in 2006, two were state-run grammar schools. England has four universities ranked amongst the top ten in the 2011 THES - QS World University Rankings.
, Glasgow
In Scotland, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning is responsible to the Scottish Parliament for education, with day-to-day administration and funding of state schools being the responsibility of local authorities. Scotland first legislated for universal provision of education in 1696. The proportion of children in Scotland attending private schools is just over 4%, though it has been rising slowly in recent years. Scottish students who attend Scottish universities pay neither tuition fees nor graduate endowment charges, as the fees were abolished in 2001 and the graduate endowment scheme was abolished in 2008.
The Welsh Government Minister for Education is responsible to the Senedd for education in Wales. One of the most notable distinctive features of education in Wales is the empathise on the Welsh language. Lessons in which are compulsory for all until the age of 16. Whilst a significant minority of students are taught primarly through the medium of welsh.
The Northern Ireland Assembly is responsible for education in Northern Ireland though responsibility at a local level is administered by 5 Education and Library Boards covering different geographical areas.
The UK has some of the top universities in the world with Cambridge, Oxford and Imperial College ranked amongst the top 10 in the 2014–15 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
The Programme for International Student Assessment coordinated by the OECD currently ranks the overall knowledge and skills of British 15-year-olds as 13th in the world in reading literacy, mathematics, and science with the average British student scoring 503.7, compared with the OECD average of 493.

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