Editing United Kingdom (section)

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of the United Kingdom|British people}}
{{see|Ceremonial counties of England|Subdivisions of Scotland|Counties of Northern Ireland|Subdivisions of Wales}}
In the [[2021 United Kingdom census|2021 census]], the population of the United Kingdom was 67,026,292.<ref name="2011census">{{Cite web |date=21 December 2022 |title=Population estimates for the UK, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: mid-2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/annualmidyearpopulationestimates/mid2021 |access-date=16 April 2025 |publisher=Office for National Statistics}}</ref> It is the [[List of European countries by population|fourth-largest]] in Europe (after Russia, Germany and France), the fifth-largest in the Commonwealth and the [[List of countries by population|22nd-largest]] in the world. In 2012 and 2013, births contributed the most to population growth. In 2014 and 2015, net international migration contributed more to population growth.<ref name="pop2015">{{Cite web |date=23 June 2016 |title=Population Estimates for UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Mid-2015 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/annualmidyearpopulationestimates/latest |publisher=Office for National Statistics}}</ref> Between 2001 and 2011, the population increased at an average annual rate of 0.7%.<ref name="2011census" /> The 2011 census also showed that, over the previous 100 years, the proportion of the population aged 0–14 fell from 31 to 18%, and the proportion of people aged 65 and over rose from 5 to 16%.<ref name="2011census" /> In 2018, the [[median age]] of the UK population was 41.7 years.<ref>{{Citation |title=World Factbook EUROPE: United Kingdom |date=12 July 2018 |work=[[The World Factbook]] |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-kingdom}}</ref>

<!-- Self-maintaining population table -->
{{UK population table}}

England's population in 2021 was 56&nbsp;million, representing some 84% of the UK total.<ref name="2011census" /> It is one of the [[List of countries and dependencies by population density|most densely populated countries]] in the world, with 434&nbsp;people per square kilometre in mid-2021,<ref name="2011census" /> with a particular concentration in London and the south-east.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Khan |first=Urmee |date=16 September 2008 |title=England is most crowded country in Europe |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/2967374/England-is-most-crowded-country-in-Europe.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918221002/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/2967374/England-is-most-crowded-country-in-Europe.html |archive-date=18 September 2008 |access-date=5 September 2009 |work=The Telegraph |location=London}}</ref> [[London metropolitan area|London's wider metropolitan area]] is the largest in [[Western Europe]], with a population of 14.9&nbsp;million in 2024.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=Major Agglomerations |url=http://citypopulation.de/en/world/agglomerations |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004094531/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/world/agglomerations/ |archive-date=4 October 2023 |access-date=16 October 2023}}</ref> The 2021 census put Scotland's population at 5.48&nbsp;million, Wales at 3.1&nbsp;million and Northern Ireland at 1.9&nbsp;million.<ref name="2011census" />

In 2021, the [[total fertility rate]] across the UK was 1.53 children born per woman.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vital statistics: population and health reference tables |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/vitalstatisticspopulationandhealthreferencetables |access-date=6 March 2018 |website=Office for National Statistics}}</ref> While a rising birth rate is contributing to population growth, it remains considerably below the [[baby boom]] peak of 2.95 children per woman in 1964,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Boseley |first=Sarah |date=14 July 2008 |title=The question: What's behind the baby boom? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/jul/14/familyandrelationships.women |access-date=28 August 2009 |work=The Guardian |location=London |page=3}}</ref> or the high of 6.02 children born per woman in 1815,<ref>{{Citation |last=Roser |first=Max |title=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries |date=2014 |work=[[Our World in Data]], [[Gapminder Foundation]] |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=GBR |access-date=10 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705121623/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=GBR |archive-date=5 July 2019}}</ref> below the replacement rate of 2.1, but higher than the 2001 record low of 1.63.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vital Statistics: Population and Health Reference Tables (February 2014 Update): Annual Time Series Data |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/vital-statistics--population-and-health-reference-tables/spring-2014-update/annual-table.xls |access-date=27 April 2014 |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics|ONS]]}}</ref> In 2011, 47.3% of births in the UK were to unmarried women.<ref>[http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&plugin=0&language=en&pcode=tps00018 Tables, Graphs and Maps Interface (TGM) table]. Eurostat (26 February 2013). Retrieved 12 July 2013.</ref> The [[Office for National Statistics]] reported in 2015 that amongst the UK population aged 16 and over, 1.7% identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual (2.0% of males and 1.5% of females); 4.5% of respondents responded with "other", "I don't know", or did not respond.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 October 2016 |title=Sexual identity, UK: 2015 – Experimental Official Statistics on sexual identity in the UK in 2015 by region, sex, age, marital status, ethnicity and NS-SEC |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/sexuality/bulletins/sexualidentityuk/2015 |access-date=19 January 2017 |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]]}}</ref> The number of [[transgender]] people in the UK was estimated to be between 65,000 and 300,000 by research between 2001 and 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Research report 27: Trans research review |url=http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/about-us/our-work/key-projects/trans-inequalities-reviewed/introduction-to-the-review |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706020643/http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/about-us/our-work/key-projects/trans-inequalities-reviewed/introduction-to-the-review |archive-date=6 July 2015 |access-date=26 November 2021 |website=equalityhumanrights.com |page=v}}</ref>
{{Largest Urban Areas of the United Kingdom}}

=== Ethnicity ===
{{Main|Ethnic groups in the United Kingdom}}
[[File:Ethnic demography of the United Kingdom from 1951 - 2021.gif|thumb|upright=1.1|Ethnicities of United Kingdom (1951–2021)]]
Historically, indigenous British people were thought to be [[Genetic history of the British Isles|descended from ethnic groups]] that settled there before the 12th century: the [[Celts]], Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Norse and the [[Normans]]. [[Welsh people]] could be the oldest ethnic group in the UK.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 June 2012 |title=Welsh people could be most ancient in UK, DNA suggests |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-18489735 |access-date=28 April 2013 |work=BBC News}}</ref> The UK has a history of non-white immigration with [[Liverpool]] having the oldest black population in the country, dating back to at least the 1730s during the African slave trade. During this period, it is estimated the Afro-Caribbean population of Great Britain was 10,000 to 15,000<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 January 2011 |title=Victoria and Albert Museum Black Presence |url=http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/s/silver-service-slavery-the-black-presence-in-the-white-home/}}</ref> which later declined after the abolition of slavery.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Winder |first=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ORcaQIgdcEC&q=combed&pg=PT94 |title=Bloody Foreigners: The Story of Immigration to Britain |publisher=Little, Brown Book |date=2010 |isbn=978-0-7481-2396-4}}; {{Cite book |last=Costello |first=Ray |title=Black Liverpool: The Early History of Britain's Oldest Black Community 1730–1918 |publisher=Picton Press |date=2001 |isbn=978-1-873245-07-1 |location=Liverpool}}</ref> The UK also has the oldest [[British Chinese|Chinese]] community in Europe, dating to the arrival of Chinese seamen in the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Culture and Ethnicity Differences in Liverpool&nbsp;– Chinese Community |url=http://www.mersey-gateway.org/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.1369 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090724204513/http://www.mersey-gateway.org/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.1369 |archive-date=24 July 2009 |access-date=9 March 2015 |publisher=Chambré Hardman Trust}}</ref> In 2021, 83% of the UK population identified themselves as white, meaning 17% of the UK population identify themselves as of one of an [[minority group|ethnic minority]] group.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ethnic group |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS021/editions/2021/versions/3/filter-outputs/2c225a7b-0b5a-4a56-825e-2d6df1c6be93 |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=16 April 2025 |website=Office for National Statistics}}</ref>

Ethnic diversity varies significantly across the UK. 46.2% of London's population and 59.1% of [[Leicester]]'s was estimated to be non-white {{As of|lc=y|2021|}},<ref>{{Cite web |last=Post |first=HEPI Guest |date=10 January 2023 |title=Leicester – A super diverse-city |url=https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2023/01/10/leicester-a-super-diverse-city/ |access-date=16 April 2025 |website=HEPI}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Plumplot |title=London Census 2021. |url=https://www.plumplot.co.uk/London-census-2021.html |access-date=16 April 2025 |website=www.plumplot.co.uk}}</ref> whereas less than 10% of the populations of [[North East England]], Wales and the [[South West England|South West]] were from ethnic minorities, according to the 2001 census.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census 2001&nbsp;– Ethnicity and religion in England and Wales |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/profiles/commentaries/ethnicity.asp |access-date=23 April 2008 |publisher=Office for National Statistics}}</ref> {{As of|2024|alt=In 2024}}, 37.4% of primary and 36.6% of secondary pupils at [[state school]]s in England were members of an ethnic minority.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2023/24 |url=https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2023-24 |access-date=16 April 2025 |website=explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk}}</ref>

=== Languages ===
{{Main|Languages of the United Kingdom}}

The [[English language]] is the ''de facto'' official and most widely spoken language in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |title=English language&nbsp;– Government, citizens and rights |url=http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/LivingintheUK/DG_10012519 |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121015000000/http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/LivingintheUK/DG_10012519 |archive-date=15 October 2012 |access-date=23 August 2011 |website=[[Directgov]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mac Sithigh |first=Daithí |date=17 May 2018 |title=Official status of languages in the UK and Ireland |url=https://pureadmin.qub.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/141540053/Status_OA_Feb_2018.pdf |journal=Common Law World Review |publisher=Queen's University, Belfast |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=77–102 |doi=10.1177/1473779518773642 |s2cid=219987922}}</ref> The United Kingdom promotes the language globally to build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.<ref>British Council {{Cite web |title=British Council &#124; the UK's international culture and education organisation |url=https://www.britishcouncil.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201181104/https://www.britishcouncil.org/ |archive-date=1 February 2023 |access-date=5 December 2018}} (last checked 6 February 2023)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=About BBC Learning English |url=https://www.bbc.com/learningenglish/english/hygiene |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204204233/https://www.bbc.com/learningenglish/english/hygiene |archive-date=4 February 2023 |access-date=9 February 2023 |website=BBC}}</ref> It is estimated that 95% of the UK's population are [[monolingual]] English speakers.<ref name="BBC languages">{{Cite web |title=Languages across Europe: United Kingdom |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/european_languages/countries/uk.shtml |access-date=4 February 2013 |website=BBC}}</ref> Over 5% of the population are estimated to speak languages brought to the UK as a result of immigration.<ref name="BBC languages" /> South Asian languages are the largest group, which includes [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Urdu]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Sylheti language|Sylheti]], [[Hindi]], [[Pahari-Pothwari]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], and [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]].<ref>Carl Skutsch (2013). ''Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities''. pp.1261. Routledge. Retrieved 3 December 2020.</ref> According to the 2011 census, [[Polish language|Polish]] has become the second-largest language spoken in England and has 546,000 speakers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Booth |first=Robert |date=30 January 2013 |title=Polish becomes England's second language |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/jan/30/polish-becomes-englands-second-language |access-date=4 February 2012 |work=The Guardian |location=London}}</ref> In 2019, some three-quarters of a million people spoke little or no English.<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 April 2019 |title=The teenagers who translate for their parents |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-47982494/the-teenagers-who-translate-for-their-parents |access-date=23 April 2019 |work=BBC News}}</ref>
[[File:Bilingual welcome sign Newry.jpg|thumb|[[Bilingual sign]] ([[Irish language|Irish]] and [[English language|English]]) in [[Newry]], [[Northern Ireland]]]]

Three indigenous [[Celtic languages]] are spoken in the UK: [[Welsh language|Welsh]], [[Irish language|Irish]] and [[Scottish Gaelic]]. [[Cornish language|Cornish]], which became extinct as a first language in the late 18th century, is being revived and has a small group of second language speakers.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Track |first1=Robert Lawrence |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oLx9AgAAQBAJ&q=%E2%80%9Cthese+people+speak+the+dead+language+as+a+second+language%E2%80%9D&pg=PA63 |title=Language and Linguistics: The Key Concepts |last2=Stockwell, Peter |date=2007 |isbn=978-0-415-41358-9 |page=63 |publisher=Routledge |access-date=4 August 2019}}; {{Cite web |title=Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, Strasbourg, 1.II.1995 |url=http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/Html/157.htm |access-date=9 March 2015 |publisher=Council of Europe}}; {{Cite web |title=European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, Strasbourg, 5.XI.1992 |url=http://conventions.coe.int/treaty/en/Treaties/Html/148.htm |access-date=9 March 2015 |publisher=Council of Europe}}</ref><ref name="reglang" /> According to the [[2021 United Kingdom census|2021 census]], the [[Welsh-speaking population]] of Wales aged three or older was 538,300 (17.8%).<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 December 2022 |title=Welsh language in Wales (Census 2021) |url=https://gov.wales/welsh-language-wales-census-2021-html |access-date=6 December 2022 |website=gov.wales}}</ref> In addition, it is estimated that about 200,000 Welsh speakers live in England.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wynn Thomas |first=Peter |date=March 2007 |title=Welsh today |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/multilingual/welsh.shtml |access-date=5 July 2011 |website=Voices |publisher=BBC}}</ref> In the 2021 census in Northern Ireland 12.4% of people had some [[Irish language in Northern Ireland|Irish language]] ability and 10.4% of people had some facility in the [[Ulster Scots dialect|Ulster-Scots]] language.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census 2021: Main statistics for Northern Ireland |url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/census-2021-main-statistics-for-northern-ireland-phase-1-statistical-bulletin-language.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240210110853/https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/census-2021-main-statistics-for-northern-ireland-phase-1-statistical-bulletin-language.pdf |archive-date=10 February 2024 |access-date=10 February 2024}}</ref> Over 92,000 people in Scotland (just under 2% of the population) had some Gaelic language ability, including 72% of those living in the [[Outer Hebrides]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scotland's Census 2001&nbsp;– Gaelic Report |url=http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/press/news2005/scotlands-census-2001-gaelic-report.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522110328/http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/press/news2005/scotlands-census-2001-gaelic-report.html |archive-date=22 May 2013 |access-date=28 April 2013 |publisher=General Register Office for Scotland}}</ref> The number of children being taught either Welsh or Scottish Gaelic is increasing.<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 February 2009 |title=Local UK languages 'taking off' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7885493.stm |work=BBC News}}</ref> [[Scots language|Scots]], a language descended from early northern [[Middle English]], has limited [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages|recognition]] alongside its regional variant, [[Ulster Scots dialects|Ulster Scots]] in Northern Ireland, without specific commitments to protection and promotion.<ref name="reglang" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Language Data&nbsp;– Scots |url=http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2449&Itemid=52&lang=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070623185445/http://eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2449&Itemid=52&lang=en |archive-date=23 June 2007 |access-date=2 November 2008 |publisher=European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages}}</ref> As of April 2020, there are around 151,000 users of [[British Sign Language]] (BSL), a [[sign language]] used by deaf people, in the UK.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Hannah |date=23 April 2020 |title='People are dying because of this': Calls for UK Gov to follow Scotland with sign language interpreter at Covid-19 briefing |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/people-are-dying-because-calls-uk-gov-follow-scotland-sign-language-interpreter-covid-19-briefing-2547989 |access-date=19 December 2021 |work=The Scotsman}}</ref>

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in the United Kingdom}}
{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Religion in the United Kingdom (2022 census):<ref>{{Cite web |title=Religion - Office for National Statistics |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS030/editions/2021/versions/1/filter-outputs/ab7776bd-b2ec-44f9-8acc-4c48a21eb41e#get-data |access-date=29 November 2022 |website=ons.gov.uk}}</ref>
| label1 = Christianity
| value1 = 46.53
| color1 = DodgerBlue
| label2 = No religion
| value2 = 37.75
| color2 = Gold
| label3 = Islam
| value3 = 5.97
| color3 = Green
| label4 = Hinduism
| value4 = 1.59
| color4 = DarkOrange
| label5 = Sikhism
| value5 = 0.79
| color5 = Red
| label6 = Buddhism
| value6 = 0.43
| color6 = Yellow
| label7 = Judaism
| value7 = 0.41
| color7 = Indigo
| label8 = Other religion
| value8 = 0.58
| color8 = Black
| label9 = Not stated
| value9 = 5.91
| color9 = Brown
}}
Christianity has dominated [[History of Christianity in Britain|religious life in the United Kingdom]] for more than 1,400 years.<ref>Cannon, John, ed. (2nd edn., 2009). [https://books.google.com/books?id=TYnfhTq2M7EC&pg=PA144 ''A Dictionary of British History'']. Oxford University Press. p. 144. {{ISBN|978-0-19-955037-1}}.</ref> Although a majority of citizens still identify with Christianity in surveys, regular church attendance has fallen dramatically since the middle of the 20th century,<ref>Field, Clive D. (November 2009). [http://www.brin.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/development-of-religious-statistics.pdf "British religion in numbers"]. BRIN Discussion Series on Religious Statistics, Discussion Paper 001. Retrieved 7 March 2015.</ref> while immigration and demographic change have contributed to the growth of Islam and other faiths.<ref>Yilmaz, Ihsan (2005). [https://books.google.com/books?id=ryrD2YODzxUC&pg=PA291 ''Muslim Laws, Politics and Society in Modern Nation States: Dynamic Legal Pluralisms in England, Turkey, and Pakistan'']. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing. pp. 55–56. {{ISBN|978-0-7546-4389-0}}.</ref> This has led some commentators to describe the UK as a multi-faith,<ref>Brown, Callum G. (2006). [https://books.google.com/books?id=ryrD2YODzxUC&pg=PA291 ''Religion and Society in Twentieth-Century Britain'']. Harlow: Pearson Education. p. 291. {{ISBN|978-0-582-47289-1}}.</ref> [[secularised]],<ref>Norris, Pippa; Inglehart, Ronald (2004). [https://books.google.com/books?id=dto-P2YfWJIC&pg=PA84 ''Sacred and Secular: Religion and Politics Worldwide'']. Cambridge University Press. p. 84. {{ISBN|978-0-521-83984-6}}.</ref> or [[post-Christian]] society.<ref>Fergusson, David (2004). [https://books.google.com/books?id=Owz4aBSEINgC&pg=PA94 ''Church, State and Civil Society'']. Cambridge University Press. p. 94. {{ISBN|978-0-521-52959-4}}.</ref>

In the 2021 census, 46.5% of respondents reported that they were Christians, with the next largest faiths being [[Islam in the United Kingdom|Islam]] (5.9%), [[Hinduism in the United Kingdom|Hinduism]] (1.6%), [[Sikhism in the United Kingdom|Sikhism]] (0.8%), [[Buddhism in the United Kingdom|Buddhism]] (0.4%), [[Judaism in the United Kingdom|Judaism]] (0.4%), and all other religions (0.6%). Of the respondents, 38% stated that they had [[Irreligion in the United Kingdom|no religion]] and a further 6% stated no religious preference.<ref name="2021 census - religion - England and Wales" /> A [[Tearfund]] survey in 2007 showed that only one in ten Britons attend church weekly.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 April 2007 |title=United Kingdom: New Report Finds Only One in 10 Attend Church |url=http://news.adventist.org/2007/04/uite-kigom-ew-report-fis-oly-oe-i-10-atte-church.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111213155625/http://news.adventist.org/2007/04/uite-kigom-ew-report-fis-oly-oe-i-10-atte-church.html |archive-date=13 December 2011 |access-date=9 March 2015 |website=News.adventist.org}}</ref> Between the 2001 and 2011 census, there was a 12% decrease in those who identified as Christian, while the percentage reporting no religious affiliation doubled. This contrasted with growth in the other main religious group categories, with the number of Muslims increasing the most to about 5%.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Philby |first=Charlotte |date=12 December 2012 |title=Less religious and more ethnically diverse: Census reveals a picture of Britain today |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/less-religious-and-more-ethnically-diverse-census-reveals-a-picture-of-britain-today-8406506.html |work=[[The Independent|Independent]] |location=London}}</ref> The Muslim population has increased from 1.6&nbsp;million in 2001 to 2.7&nbsp;million in 2011, making it the second-largest religious group in the UK.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 April 2013 |title=The percentage of the population with no religion has increased in England and Wales |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/key-statistics-for-local-authorities-in-england-and-wales/sty-religion.html |website=Office for National Statistics}}</ref>

The Church of England is the [[State religion|established church]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2004 |title=The History of the Church of England |url=http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/history/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100221212004/http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/history |archive-date=21 February 2010 |access-date=23 November 2008 |website=The Church of England}}</ref> It retains [[Lords Spiritual|representation]] in the UK Parliament, and the British monarch is its [[Supreme Governor of the Church of England|Supreme Governor]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Queen and Church of England |url=http://www.royalinsight.gov.uk/output/Page4708.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061008203611/http://www.royalinsight.gov.uk/output/Page4708.asp |archive-date=8 October 2006 |access-date=5 June 2010 |publisher=British Monarchy Media Centre}}</ref> In [[religion in Scotland|Scotland]], the [[Church of Scotland]] is the [[national church]]. It is not subject to state control, and the British monarch is an ordinary member, required to swear an oath to "maintain and preserve the Protestant Religion and [[Presbyterian polity|Presbyterian Church Government]]" upon his or her accession.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Queen and the Church |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/QueenandChurch/History.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605025533/http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/QueenandChurch/History.aspx |archive-date=5 June 2011 |publisher=The British Monarchy (Official Website)}}</ref><ref name="reglang" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=22 February 2010 |title=Our structure |url=https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/about-us/our-structure |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125192732/https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/about-us/our-structure |archive-date=25 January 2020 |website=churchofscotland.org.uk}}</ref> The [[Church in Wales]] was disestablished in 1920 and, because the [[Church of Ireland]] was disestablished in 1870 before the [[partition of Ireland]], there is no established church in Northern Ireland.<ref>Weller, Paul (2005). [https://books.google.com/books?id=tHc88PzAPLMC&pg=PA80 ''Time for a Change: Reconfiguring Religion, State, and Society'']. London: Continuum. pp. 79–80. {{ISBN|978-0-567-08487-3}}.</ref> Although there are no UK-wide data in the 2001 census on adherence to individual Christian denominations, it has been estimated that 62% of Christians are Anglican, 13.5% Catholic, 6% Presbyterian, and 3.4% Methodist, with smaller numbers of other denominations.<ref>Peach, Ceri, [https://books.google.com/books?id=i6ER_z8gcD4C "United Kingdom, a major transformation of the religious landscape"], in H. Knippenberg. ed. (2005). ''The Changing Religious Landscape of Europe''. Amsterdam: Het Spinhuis. pp. 44–58. {{ISBN|978-90-5589-248-8}}.</ref>

=== Migration ===
{{Main|Historical immigration to Great Britain|Modern immigration to the United Kingdom}}
{{See also|Foreign-born population of the United Kingdom}}
[[File:United Kingdom foreign born population by country of birth.png|thumb|upright=1.35|Estimated foreign-born population by country of birth from April 2007&nbsp;to March 2008]]
[[File:British expats countrymap.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|Estimated number of British citizens living overseas by country in 2006]]

Immigration is contributing to a rising UK population,<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 August 2008 |title=Immigration and births to non-British mothers pushes British population to record high |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/immigration-and-births-to-nonbritish-mothers-pushes-british-population-to-record-high-6816318.html |work=London Evening Standard}}</ref><ref name="bbc-23-05-2024">{{cite news |title=Migration: How many people come to the UK and how are the salary rules changing? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48785695 |work=BBC News |date=23 May 2024}}</ref> with arrivals and UK-born children of migrants accounting for about half of the population increase between 1991 and 2001. According to statistics released in 2015, 27% of UK live births in 2014 were to mothers born outside the UK.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 July 2015 |title=Births in England and Wales: 2014 |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/birth-summary-tables--england-and-wales/2014/index.html |website=Office for National Statistics}}</ref> The ONS reported that net migration rose from 2009 to 2010 by 21% to 239,000.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Travis |first=Alan |date=25 August 2011 |title=UK net migration rises 21 per cent |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/aug/25/uk-net-migration-rises-21 |work=The Guardian |location=London}}</ref>

In 2013, approximately 208,000 foreign nationals were naturalised as British citizens, the highest number since 1962. This figure fell to around 125,800 in 2014. Between 2009 and 2013, the average number of British citizenships granted annually was 195,800. The most common origins of those naturalised in 2024 were, Pakistani, Indian, [[Nigeria]]n, [[Philippines|Filipino]], [[Bangladesh]]i, Italian, Turkish, Romanian, Iranian and Iranian. The number of grants of settlement, which confer [[Permanent residency|permanent residence]] in the UK but not citizenship,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blinder |first=Scott |date=11 June 2014 |title=Settlement in the UK |url=http://www.migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/briefings/settlement-uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906232123/http://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/briefings/settlement-uk |archive-date=6 September 2015 |access-date=1 August 2015 |publisher=The Migration Observatory, University of Oxford}}</ref> was approximately 154,700 in 2013, higher than the previous two years.<ref name="Blinder2015">{{Cite web |last=Blinder |first=Scott |date=27 March 2015 |title=Naturalisation as a British Citizen: Concepts and Trends |url=http://www.migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/migobs/Briefing%20-%20Naturalisation%20as%20a%20British%20Citizen%20-%20Concepts%20and%20Trends_0.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916052200/http://www.migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/migobs/Briefing%20-%20Naturalisation%20as%20a%20British%20Citizen%20-%20Concepts%20and%20Trends_0.pdf |archive-date=16 September 2015 |access-date=1 August 2015 |publisher=The Migration Observatory, University of Oxford}}</ref> Long-term net migration (the number of people immigrating minus the number emigrating) reached a record of 764,000 in 2022, with immigration at 1.26&nbsp;million and emigration at 493,000.<ref>{{cite news |title=Net migration drops to 685,000 after hitting record levels, as even more arrived in UK last year than previously thought |url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/net-migration-drops-to-685-000/ |date=23 May 2024 |work=[[LBC]]}}</ref> In 2023, net migration was 685,000; 10% of the total who came to the UK in that year were EU Nationals.<ref name="bbc-23-05-2024"/> More EU Nationals left the UK than arrived.<ref name="bbc-23-05-2024"/>

[[British diaspora|Emigration]] was an important feature of British society in the 19th century. Between 1815 and 1930, around 11.4&nbsp;million people emigrated from Britain and 7.3&nbsp;million from Ireland. Estimates show that by the end of the 20th century, some 300&nbsp;million people of British and Irish descent were permanently settled around the globe.<ref>Richards (2004), pp. 6–7.</ref> In 2006 at least 5.5&nbsp;million UK-born people lived abroad,<ref name="BritsAbroad">{{Cite web |last1=Sriskandarajah |first1=Dhananjayan |last2=Drew |first2=Catherine |date=11 December 2006 |title=Brits Abroad: Mapping the scale and nature of British emigration |url=http://www.ippr.org/publicationsandreports/publication.asp?id=509 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070828011816/http://www.ippr.org/publicationsandreports/publication.asp?id=509 |archive-date=28 August 2007 |access-date=9 March 2015 |publisher=Institute for Public Policy Research}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Brits Abroad: world overview |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/brits_abroad/html/default.stm |access-date=20 April 2007 |publisher=BBC}}; {{Cite news |last=Casciani |first=Dominic |date=11 December 2006 |title=5.5&nbsp;m Britons 'opt to live abroad' |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6210358.stm |access-date=20 April 2007}}</ref> mainly in Australia, Spain, the United States and Canada.<ref name="BritsAbroad" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=11 December 2006 |title=Brits Abroad: Country-by-country |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6161705.stm |work=BBC News}}</ref>

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in the United Kingdom|Universities in the United Kingdom}}
{{Further|Education in England|Education in Scotland|Education in Wales|Education in Northern Ireland}}
[[File:1 christ church hall 2012.jpg|thumb|The [[University of Oxford]] is widely regarded as one of the world's leading universities.]]
Education in the United Kingdom is a [[Devolution|devolved]] matter, with each country having a separate education system. About 38% of the United Kingdom population has a university or [[college degree]], which is the highest percentage in Europe, and amongst the highest percentage in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 September 2012 |title=The Most Educated Countries in the World |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-most-educated-countries-in-the-world.html;_ylt=AlaWy8IcyeBaviKi7_.WJyhE6odG;_ylu=X3oDMTJrY2d2NGZyBG1pdANDeFMgRmluYW5jaWFsbHkgRml0IEFydGljbGUgQXJ0aWNsZSBCb2R5IFByb2QEcG9zAzMEc2VjA01lZGlhQXJ0aWNsZUJvZHlBc3NlbWJseQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTNjdGVoaXJqBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDY2IyOTRhMGEtYmY2OS0zYTdlLThlYTUtZWFlNTU3YWI1ZTc3BHBzdGNhdANleGNsdXNpdmVzfGZpbmFuY2lhbGx5Zml0BHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQ--;_ylv=3?page=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204213400/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-most-educated-countries-in-the-world.html%3B_ylt%3DAlaWy8IcyeBaviKi7_.WJyhE6odG%3B_ylu%3DX3oDMTJrY2d2NGZyBG1pdANDeFMgRmluYW5jaWFsbHkgRml0IEFydGljbGUgQXJ0aWNsZSBCb2R5IFByb2QEcG9zAzMEc2VjA01lZGlhQXJ0aWNsZUJvZHlBc3NlbWJseQ--%3B_ylg%3DX3oDMTNjdGVoaXJqBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDY2IyOTRhMGEtYmY2OS0zYTdlLThlYTUtZWFlNTU3YWI1ZTc3BHBzdGNhdANleGNsdXNpdmVzfGZpbmFuY2lhbGx5Zml0BHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQ--%3B_ylv%3D3?page=1 |archive-date=4 February 2016 |access-date=20 April 2016 |website=Yahoo Finance}}; {{Cite magazine |date=27 September 2012 |title=And the World's Most Educated Country Is… |url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2012/09/27/and-the-worlds-most-educated-country-is/ |magazine=Time |location=New York |access-date=20 April 2016}}</ref> The United Kingdom is home to [[List of universities in the United Kingdom|many universities]], including the [[University of Oxford]] and [[University of Cambridge]] which often achieve first place on global rankings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 |date=25 September 2023 |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2024/world-ranking |access-date=17 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=QS World University Rankings 2024|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2024 |access-date=17 April 2024}}</ref>

University education has varied tuition fees in different regions of the UK. England and Wales have a fixed maximum annual fee for all UK citizens, contingent on attaining a certain level of income. Only those who reach a certain salary threshold (£21,000) pay this fee through [[Taxation in the United Kingdom|general taxation]]. Northern Ireland and Scotland have a reduced maximum fee or no fee for citizens where it is their home region. Some NHS courses have bursaries which pay the fee and in 2017 it was stated that each doctor gets subsidised by £230,000 during their training.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 October 2014 |title=Undergraduate Tuition Fess and Student Loans |url=https://www.ucas.com/money-and-student-life/money/student-finance/undergraduate-tuition-fees-and-student-loans |access-date=24 February 2024 |website=UCAS}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=More undergraduate medical education places |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/more-undergraduate-medical-education-places |access-date=24 February 2024 |website=gov.uk}}</ref>

In 2022, the [[Programme for International Student Assessment]] (PISA), coordinated by the [[OECD]], ranked the overall knowledge and skills of British 15-year-olds as 14th in the world in reading, mathematics and science. The average British student scored 494, above the OECD average of 478.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PISA 2022 Results |url=https://www.datapandas.org/ranking/pisa-scores-by-country |access-date=24 February 2024 |website=Data Pandas}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=PISA 2022 UK Results |url=https://www.oecd.org/publication/pisa-2022-results/country-notes/united-kingdom-9c15db47#chapter-d1e11 |access-date=24 February 2024 |website=OECD|date=4 December 2023 }}</ref>

=== Healthcare ===
{{Main||Healthcare in the United Kingdom}}{{Further|Healthcare in England|Healthcare in Scotland|Healthcare in Wales|}}[[File:QEUH.jpg|thumb|left|[[NHS Scotland]]'s [[Queen Elizabeth University Hospital]] in Glasgow, the largest hospital campus in Europe]]

The modern system of [[Universal service|universal]] [[Publicly funded health care|publicly funded healthcare]] in the United Kingdom has its origins in the creation of the [[National Health Service]] (NHS) in 1949, which still exists and is the primary healthcare provider in the United Kingdom. The widespread popularity of the NHS has led to it being described as a "national religion".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gill |first=Martha |date=9 July 2023 |title=To those who claim the NHS has turned into a British religion, I say: keep the faith |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/09/nhs-british-religion-keep-faith-nhs-at-75 |access-date=16 July 2023 |work=The Observer}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=14 April 2020 |title=Is the NHS our new national religion? – Religion Media Centre |url=https://religionmediacentre.org.uk/news/is-the-nhs-our-new-national-religion/ |access-date=16 July 2023 |website=religionmediacentre.org.uk}}</ref> Healthcare in the United Kingdom is a [[Devolution|devolved matter]] and each country has its own system of universal publicly funded healthcare, although private healthcare is also available. Public healthcare is provided to all [[British nationality law|UK permanent residents]] and is mostly free at the point of need, being paid for from [[Taxation in the United Kingdom|general taxation]]. The [[World Health Organization]], in 2000, ranked the provision of healthcare in the United Kingdom as fifteenth best in Europe and eighteenth in the world.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/worldhealthrepor00worl |title=The world health report 2000&nbsp;– Health systems: improving performance |publisher=World Health Organization |date=2000 |isbn=978-92-4-156198-3 |editor-last=Haden |editor-first=Angela |location=Geneva |access-date=5 July 2011 |editor-last2=Campanini |editor-first2=Barbara}}; {{Cite web |last=World Health Organization |author-link=World Health Organization |title=Measuring overall health system performance for 191 countries |url=http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~wgreene/Statistics/WHO-COMP-Study-30.pdf |access-date=5 July 2011 |publisher=New York University}}</ref>

Since 1979, expenditure on healthcare has increased significantly.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fisher |first=Peter |title=The NHS from Thatcher to Blair |url=http://www.healthp.org/node/71 |journal=NHS Consultants Association |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181120124807/http://www.healthp.org/node/71 |archive-date=20 November 2018 |access-date=19 December 2018 |quote=The Budget&nbsp;... was even more generous to the NHS than had been expected amounting to an annual rise of 7.4 per cent above the rate of inflation for the next five years. This would take us to 9.4 per cent of GDP spent on health ie around EU average.}}</ref> The 2018 [[OECD]] data, which incorporates in health a chunk of what in the UK is classified as social care, has the UK spending £3,121 per person.<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 September 2019 |title=Swindells: They aren't 'your' patients |url=https://www.hsj.co.uk/policy-and-regulation/swindells-they-arent-your-patients/7025988.article? |access-date=19 November 2019 |publisher=Health Service Journal}}</ref> In 2017, the UK spent £2,989 per person on healthcare, near the median for members of the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 August 2019 |title=How does UK healthcare spending compare with other countries? |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthcaresystem/articles/howdoesukhealthcarespendingcomparewithothercountries/2019-08-29 |access-date=5 October 2019 |publisher=Office of National Statistics}}</ref>

Regulatory bodies are organised on a UK-wide basis such as the [[General Medical Council]], the [[Nursing and Midwifery Council]] and non-governmental-based, such as the [[Medical royal college|Royal College]]s. Political and operational responsibility for healthcare lies with four national [[executive (government)|executives]]; [[healthcare in England]] is the responsibility of the UK Government; [[healthcare in Northern Ireland]] is the responsibility of the [[Northern Ireland Executive]]; [[healthcare in Scotland]] is the responsibility of the [[Scottish Government]]; and [[healthcare in Wales]] is the responsibility of the [[Welsh Government]]. Each [[National Health Service]] has different policies and priorities, resulting in contrasts.<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 August 2008 |title='Huge contrasts' in devolved NHS |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7586147.stm |work=BBC News}}; {{Cite news |last=Triggle |first=Nick |date=2 January 2008 |title=NHS now four different systems |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7149423.stm}}</ref>