Population of Birmingham 2023

The population of Birmingham is 1,141,186.

This makes Birmingham the largest city in the West Midlands and the second largest city in the UK after London.

(Actually, London is technically not recognised in the UK as a city, so Birmingham could be said to be the largest city in the UK).

The city of Birmingham is also the 26th largest city in Europe and was, when the United Kingdom was a member of the EU, the 17th largest city in the European Union.

Birmingham’s population passed 1 million in 2005, when the population was recorded as 1,001,200. This followed a brief period of population decline in Birmingham in the late 1990s and early 21st-century.

This event in 2005 marked the third time that the population of Birmingham went over 1 million people. The city’s population briefly went over 1 million in the 1930s, and then again between the late 1940s and 1996.

The wider Birmingham Metropolitan area is home to 3.8 million people, which is 6% of the entire UK population, and is larger than the population of Wales. It is the second largest metropolitan area in the UK, and the ninth largest in Europe. Major cities and towns in the Birmingham metropolitan area include Wolverhampton (population: 252,987), Solihull (population: 206,701) and Walsall (population 67,594).

As well as being the United Kingdom’s second city, Birmingham, England is also the largest local authority area outside of London.

Note: There is also a city in the United States called Birmingham. The city of Birmingham, Alabama is home to 212,237 people.

Population Growth in Birmingham

Birmingham was a fairly small market town for much of its history, but it grew rapidly during the industrial revolution. Between 1801 and 1901, Birmingham’s population grew from 73,670 to 522,204.

Growth continued even more rapidly during the first few decades of the 20th century. Between 1901 and 1931, Birmingham’s population almost doubled – from 522,204 in 1901 to 1 million in 2603 in 1931.

By the next census in 2021, the population of Birmingham is predicted to increase to 1,160,100.

Ethnicity in Birmingham

Birmingham is more ethnically diverse than most British cities. Over one third of people in Birmingham are non-whites, a larger proportion than any other major city in the UK (note: some smaller cities and towns do have a slightly higher percentage of non white population).

According to the 2011 census 57.9% of people in Birmingham are White. Asian and Asian British people make up the next largest group, with 26.6% of the population. They are followed by Black or Black British (9.0%), mixed (4.4%), and Other, including Arab (2.0%).

White57.9%

Asian26.6%

Black9.0%

Mixed Race4.4%

Other2.0%

Almost one in four people (238,313) living in Birmingham were born outside of the United Kingdom.

Religion in Birmingham

Christianity is the largest religion in Birmingham, followed by Islam.

Data from the 2011 census shows that 46.1% of people were Christian, 21.8% were Muslim, and 19.3% reported that they had no religion.

Christian46.1%

Muslim21.8%

No religion19.3%

The only other religious groups that make up more than 1% of the population in Birmingham are Sikh (3.0%) and Hindu (2.1%). A further 6.5% of respondents did not state their religion in the census.

Our article about religion in the UK as a whole gives more detail for comparison.

Birmingham Population Density

The city of Birmingham covers an area of 103.39 mi², or 267.77 km². Based on its 2014 population of 1,101,360, Birmingham’s population density is 10,620 people per square mile, or 4102 people per square kilometre.

Birmingham Wards by Population

The table below lists each ward in Birmingham, along with its population. Data is from the 2019 ONS population estimates.

Ladywood is the largest ward in Birmingham, with a population of 29,040. Sutton Wylde Green is the smallest, home to 8,820 people.

WardPopulation
Acocks Green24,210
Allens Cross10,580
Alum Rock27,030
Aston23,940
Balsall Heath West12,010
Bartley Green22,820
Billesley19,930
Birchfield12,480
Bordesley & Highgate16,040
Bordesley Green12,820
Bournbrook & Selly Park25,300
Bournville & Cotteridge17,990
Brandwood & King’s Heath18,880
Bromford & Hodge Hill21,910
Castle Vale9,750
Druids Heath & Monyhull11,790
Edgbaston21,900
Erdington20,810
Frankley Great Park11,830
Garretts Green10,730
Glebe Farm & Tile Cross23,950
Gravelly Hill10,780
Hall Green North22,790
Hall Green South10,290
Handsworth12,510
Handsworth Wood20,790
Harborne24,350
Heartlands13,460
Highter’s Heath11,060
Holyhead12,460
King’s Norton North11,730
King’s Norton South11,270
Kingstanding20,980
Ladywood29,040
Longbridge & West Heath20,140
Lozells9,790
Moseley21,880
Nechells16,450
Newtown15,170
North Edgbaston24,580
Northfield10,300
Oscott20,160
Perry Barr20,380
Perry Common11,790
Pype Hayes10,770
Quinton20,390
Rubery & Rednal11,010
Shard End12,170
Sheldon19,840
Small Heath20,840
Soho & Jewellery Quarter27,590
South Yardley10,620
Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East25,840
Sparkhill21,650
Stirchley10,010
Stockland Green24,400
Sutton Four Oaks9,140
Sutton Mere Green9,940
Sutton Reddicap9,900
Sutton Roughley11,520
Sutton Trinity9,280
Sutton Vesey19,570
Sutton Walmley & Minworth15,890
Sutton Wylde Green8,820
Tyseley & Hay Mills12,550
Ward End13,710
Weoley & Selly Oak24,260
Yardley East10,360
Yardley West & Stechford12,910
Birmingham Wards by Population, 2019

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