Compare where children, young adults, working-age people and older residents make up the greatest shares—and how those populations changed from 2021 to 2025.
316 councils294 England and 22 Wales
2025 estimatesCurrent population-share basis
2021–2025Population-change period
Age group
Comparison
Population estimates are not exact counts. They may be revised as ONS incorporates improved evidence. Age groups intentionally overlap: school-age residents are within children, and young adults overlap the working-age group.
Highest values: Young adults aged 18–24
Highest values for Young adults aged 18–24
Rank
Council area
Nation
Change
2025 cohort
2025 share
2021 cohort
People change
1
Camden
England
+26.9%
35,102
16.2%
27,660
+7,442
2
Bath and North East Somerset
England
+25.5%
32,670
16.3%
26,036
+6,634
3
Manchester
England
+25.0%
102,797
17.5%
82,233
+20,564
4
Newham
England
+24.8%
46,062
12.2%
36,901
+9,161
5
York
England
+24.4%
35,387
16.9%
28,447
+6,940
6
Islington
England
+21.9%
28,568
12.7%
23,436
+5,132
7
Bristol, City of
England
+21.9%
75,693
15.3%
62,103
+13,590
8
Newcastle upon Tyne
England
+21.6%
59,628
18.6%
49,055
+10,573
9
Exeter
England
+19.7%
27,699
20.1%
23,141
+4,558
10
Liverpool
England
+19.2%
79,395
15.6%
66,627
+12,768
11
Ealing
England
+18.8%
37,412
9.7%
31,498
+5,914
12
Barking and Dagenham
England
+18.7%
22,342
9.4%
18,830
+3,512
13
Tower Hamlets
England
+18.3%
47,609
14.2%
40,242
+7,367
14
Cardiff
Wales
+17.4%
58,009
15.2%
49,406
+8,603
15
Southampton
England
+17.4%
39,940
15.4%
34,031
+5,909
16
Ceredigion
Wales
+16.9%
9,647
13.3%
8,253
+1,394
17
Brent
England
+16.0%
37,850
10.8%
32,638
+5,212
18
Salford
England
+15.6%
34,207
11.5%
29,597
+4,610
19
Newcastle-under-Lyme
England
+14.6%
13,527
10.6%
11,800
+1,727
20
Lancaster
England
+14.6%
21,043
14.5%
18,360
+2,683
Lowest values: Young adults aged 18–24
Lowest values for Young adults aged 18–24
Rank
Council area
Nation
Change
2025 cohort
2025 share
2021 cohort
People change
1
Welwyn Hatfield
England
-16.6%
11,902
9.8%
14,278
-2,376
2
Isle of Anglesey
Wales
-15.6%
3,679
5.4%
4,359
-680
3
Conwy
Wales
-15.4%
5,927
5.2%
7,008
-1,081
4
Merthyr Tydfil
Wales
-14.8%
3,789
6.5%
4,448
-659
5
Monmouthshire
Wales
-13.4%
4,785
5.0%
5,523
-738
6
Folkestone and Hythe
England
-13.2%
6,289
5.6%
7,241
-952
7
Derbyshire Dales
England
-12.9%
3,567
5.0%
4,093
-526
8
Powys
Wales
-12.6%
7,105
5.3%
8,125
-1,020
9
High Peak
England
-12.4%
5,048
5.5%
5,765
-717
10
Horsham
England
-11.7%
7,884
5.2%
8,933
-1,049
11
Blaenau Gwent
Wales
-11.7%
4,257
6.3%
4,821
-564
12
Tunbridge Wells
England
-11.3%
6,249
5.2%
7,042
-793
13
Shropshire
England
-11.0%
19,553
5.9%
21,972
-2,419
14
Castle Point
England
-10.8%
5,557
6.1%
6,230
-673
15
South Holland
England
-9.7%
5,608
5.6%
6,212
-604
16
South Kesteven
England
-9.2%
7,991
5.4%
8,797
-806
17
Bridgend
Wales
-9.0%
9,327
6.4%
10,246
-919
18
Southend-on-Sea
England
-9.0%
11,636
6.3%
12,780
-1,144
19
Mole Valley
England
-8.8%
4,911
5.5%
5,385
-474
20
Hastings
England
-8.8%
5,628
6.2%
6,169
-541
Methodology and limitations
Current share
The selected age-group population as a percentage of the council's total 2025 population.
Population change
Percentage change in the selected age group between 2021 and 2025. “Lowest” is used because some groups grew everywhere.
Eligibility
Councils require at least 10,000 residents in both years. Change rankings also require at least 500 people in the starting cohort.
Source: Office for National Statistics mid-year population estimates via Nomis. Current April 2023 district and unitary authority geography. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.