FOI Reference: FOI/2021/2622​

You asked

Could you please supply the following information:

1) The estimated population of the UK as of March 2020

2) The estimated ethnic split of the UK for this population (as a whole number)

We said

Thank you for your request.

1) We publish mid-year population estimates on an annual basis, and the latest available are for Mid-2020.

Under Mid-2020 edition of this dataset 2021 local authority boundaries, please click on and open the xls file, then select the tab MYE2 – Persons – Persons by single year of age and sex local authorities in the UK, mid-2020. The data for the UK can be found on row 9. At present, population estimates for the UK are only produced on an annual mid-year basis.

Our best and most up-to-date, official estimates of the population of England and Wales by ethnic group remains those derived from the 2011 Census.

2) These most recent, official estimates of the population of the UK by ethnic group are available at national and subnational level KS201UK - Ethnic Group.  

  • From the left hand panel 'Make selections' click on 'geography'

  • From the list click on countries and from the drop down menu select 'All'

  • Going back to the left hand panel click on 'ethnic group' to tick all the boxes  

  • You can choose how you want your finished dataset to look by choosing format/layout

  • The last step is to download the data, click on 'download data' from the 'get your data' section. It will now say 'extracting data' and after a few seconds you can download your data in Excel format.

You may also be interested in the following tables:

  • The Ethnic group [KS201EW] table has a breakdown of the population of England and Wales as at census day, 27 March 2011, by 24 ethnic group categories (or classifications).

  • The Ethnic group (detailed) [QS211EW] table has a more detailed breakdown of the population by 251 ethnic group categories (or classifications) and is also available at local authority level.

In addition, you may be interested in the following illustrative estimates by ethnic group. These represent research into what the ethnic group population might look like between censuses and were produced in response to the need for more frequent updates into the size and characteristics of the population.

Please note: These datasets are illustrative datasets only, produced as research. They are not National Statistics. The different methodologies and data sources used to produce these datasets, and the resulting specific dataset characteristics, mean there are differences between the two datasets. In addition, neither methodology fully incorporates nor adjusts for migration in producing its figures. Our best official estimates remain those derived from the 2011 Census.  

  • The Research report on population estimates by ethnic group and religion and the accompanying Population characteristics research tables provide illustrative population estimates at national, regional and local authority level for England and Wales by ethnic group and religion for 2016. These illustrative estimates were published as part of research into developing a methodology to produce these estimates more regularly between censuses. These data are not Official Statistics. To access these data, click on the above link, scroll down to 'Edition in this dataset' and open the xls document entitled 'December 2019 edition of this dataset'. For more information about the methodology used to produce these data, please consult the accompanying Research report.

  • The Population denominators by ethnic group, regions and countries: England and Wales, 2011 to 2018 dataset provides population estimates at national and regional level for England and Wales by 18-way ethnic group, sex and single year of age from 2011 to 2018. They were produced in response to a specific request from the Race Disparity Audit for this research, following discussion with the Race Disparity Unit of their specific requirements and time-frame. For more information about the methodology used to produce this data, please consult the Supporting information document. To access this data, please click on the above link, scroll down to 'Downloads associated with request' and open the xls document(s) for the year(s) of relevance to your research.

Should you require anything further, please do not hesitate to contact us directly at pop.info@ons.gov.uk.