Population of Yorkshire 2023
The population of Yorkshire is 5.4 million people (latest available data).
To put the size of Yorkshire’s population into context, the county is home to more people than the entire population of many countries – for example, Scotland, New Zealand, Ireland, Finland or Norway.
Although known for its countryside and rolling dales, Yorkshire is home to three of the ten largest cities in the UK – Leeds, Sheffield and Bradford, as well as a number of other major towns and cities.
Yorkshire is the largest county in England.
Where is Yorkshire Located?
Yorkshire is a historic county in the north of England.
Today, the historic county of Yorkshire doesn’t exist. Because it was so large, it was not practical to govern Yorkshire as a single county.
Instead, Yorkshire has been divided into a number of different councils – North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and East Riding of Yorkshire. Together with North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire, they make up the region of Yorkshire and the Humber, one of the nine official regions of England.
Almost all of the historic Yorkshire county is in Yorkshire and the Humber, with the exception of a small area in the north of Yorkshire which is today a part of the North East England region, and a few small areas in the west which are a part of the North West England region.
Unless otherwise noted, data in this article refers to the population of Yorkshire and the Humber.
Largest cities in Yorkshire
Leeds is the largest city in Yorkshire and the third largest city in the UK. In 2022 the population of Leeds was 812,000.
The wider Leeds urban area has a population of 1.8 million and the Leeds metro area has a population of 2.3 million.
There are two other cities in Yorkshire with a population of more than 500,000 people. They are Sheffield (population 569,737) and Bradford (population: 531,176). They are the 5th and 6th largest cities in the UK respectively.
In total, there are eight cities in Yorkshire with a population of more than 100,000 people, and 17 towns and cities with a population of more than 50,000 people.
Regions and Counties in Yorkshire
As noted above, Yorkshire and Humber is divided into a number of different regions. West Yorkshire is the most populous region, home to 2.2 million people.
Here is a list of regions and counties in Yorkshire and Humber by population.
| District / County | Population (2015) |
| West Yorkshire | 2,281,718 |
| South Yorkshire | 1,374,655 |
| North Yorkshire | 602,277 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 336,685 |
| North Lincolnshire | 169,820 |
| North East Lincolnshire | 159,570 |
Language in Yorkshire
English is the main language of 94.1% of Yorkshire residents.
Religion in Yorkshire
Christianity is the largest religion in Yorkshire and the Humber.
The 2011 census indicated that 59.5% of the population of Yorkshire reported they were Christian. This was followed those of the Yorkshire population who reported no religion (25.4%) and that they were Muslims (6.2%).
Other religions included Hindu (0.5%), Sikh (0.4%), Buddhist (0.3%) and Jewish (0.2%). A further 7.5% reported that they followed another religion.
Ethnicity in Yorkshire
According to the 2011 census, 85.8% of the population of Yorkshire and the Humber is White (British). The next largest singe group is Asian/Asian British: Pakistani (4.3%.
Here is a full table listing ethnicity in Yorkshire and the Humber:
| Ethnic group | Percentage |
| White: English / Welsh / Scottish / Northern Irish / British | 85.8% |
| Asian / Asian British: Pakistani | 4.3% |
| White: Other White | 2.5% |
| Asian / Asian British: Indian | 1.3% |
| Black / African / Caribbean / Black British: African | 0.9% |
| Asian / Asian British: Other Asian | 0.8% |
| Mixed / Multiple Ethnic Group: White and Black Caribbean | 0.6% |
| Asian / Asian British: Chinese | 0.5% |
| White: Irish | 0.5% |
| Mixed / Multiple Ethnic Group: White and Asian | 0.5% |