According to the universal public education introduced for the primary level in 1870 (Scotland 1872, free 1890<ref>Education (Scotland) Act 1872</ref>) and secondary level in 1900.  Education is compulsory from the ages of 5 to 16. About two-fifths of British students go on to post-secondary education (18+). The Church of England and the Church of Scotland function as the official national churches in their respective countries, but the major religions found in the world are represented in the United Kingdom. 

The majority of the population in the UK is white. Being located close to continental Roman occupation for several centuries. Historically, British people were thought to be descended mainly from the varied ethnic stocks that settled there before the 11th century; the pre-Celtic, Northern France. However, recent genetic analysis appears to indicate that around 80% of British DNA comes from an indigenous population who settled Britain around 12,000 years ago, with subsequent invaders contributing very little to the genepool. <ref>''[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/07/0719_050719_britishgene.html Review of "The Tribes of Britain"]'' James Owen, ''Prospect'', October 2006, accessed 21 September 2006.</ref> Although English.

==History==
Three sets of demographic statistics are useful to governments and others concerned with their nations’ political and economic stability. The first is an enumeration of the number of inhabitants distinguished by age, sex, and occupation. The second involves a continuous record of population trends from the registration of births, marriages, and burials. The third is documentation of the extent of internal and external migration. 
=== England and Wales ===
Before 1800, Commonwealth (1653–1660) and an even more short-lived initiative of the same kind in 1694 in connection with the attempt to raise a tax on the occasion of every birth, marriage, and death—paupers excepted. At that time, the chief source of information on the demography was provided by parish registration of baptisms, marriages, and burials that had occurred in the parish churches, supplemented by information on mortality in the Bills of Mortality that were published for certain large towns and by inferences drawn from various counts of taxpayers. The article focuses on the reliability of the parochial registration system and the way in which it was exploited by the state as measured against the state’s objectives for establishing it in 1538. These objectives were rarely achieved. By the end of the 18th century, the parish registers were falling short of providing a national system of registration. Neither had the registers at any time provided the requisite detail to allow the verification of age, lineal descent, or right of inheritance. They had not been used as a way of raising revenue except briefly between 1694 and 1705. Moreover, the Anglican Church was extremely lax about the enforcement of its own regulations regarding the appropriate time for registering baptisms, burials, and marriages. 

The ability of the registration system to fulfil these original objectives can be measured in terms of the breadth of its coverage and the quality of the information provided. Each category can be further subdivided. For example, the breadth of coverage can be defined to include the speed with which parishes throughout the country commenced the registration of Cromwell’s brief instructions establishing the registration system did not specify what sort of register book was to be provided. Not unnaturally, most parishes chose to use paper rather than the dearer, but more durable, parchment. In 1597, the Convocation of the clergy, bishops, and archbishop of the province of Canterbury found it necessary to order parchment copies of all entries from old paper registers, instructions that were soon reissued in 1603.

The first census held throughout the UK was organised in 1801. England and Wales started the civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths in 1837. The first attempt by the state to compile statistics on migration was included in the census of 1841.

==Population==

right|thumb|425px|The populations and percentage of total population in the four nations of the [[United Kingdom.]]
The population of the United Kingdom in the 2001 census was 58,789,194. This has since risen to 60,587,300 according to mid-2006 estimates by the Office of National Statistics [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=6].

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Part !! Population (mid-2006) !! % (mid-2006)
|-
| England || 50,762,900 || 83.8
|-
| Scotland || 5,116,900 || 8.4
|-
| Wales || 2,965,900 || 4.9
|-
| Northern Ireland || 1,741,600 || 2.9
|-
| United Kingdom || 60,587,300 || 100
|}
(1 July 2006 population estimates by UK National Statistics)[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=6]

There are 11 cities which exceed 300,000 inhabitants, these being London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Cardiff and Coventry. Cities with urban areas in excess of 300,000 inhabitants include Nottingham, Leicester, Belfast, Southampton and Newcastle Upon Tyne. 

===Age structure===
The most numerous age groups (at the 2001 census) were the 5-year group born in the years 1946-51 (the post-World War II baby boom); the baby boom born a generation later in 1961-66 (the largest group of all); and a more modest boom a generation after that, born in 1986-91.  
[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/pyramids/pages/UK.asp] The 1946-51 group reaches retirement age from 2006 onwards (women from 2006 and men from 2011), and the sudden increase in the number of people claiming the state pension has led politicians and political commentators to fear a "pensions crisis".

The age groups are not evenly distributed around the country, with some areas having many young adults and children [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/pyramids/pages/00MA.asp] and some areas having large numbers of older people. [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/pyramids/pages/00MW.asp]
thumb|The pie chart shows the percentages of age structure throughout the [[United Kingdom.]]

{|class="wikitable"
|-
!rowspan=2| Age group !!colspan=2| Population !!rowspan=2| %
|-
! Male !! Female
|-
| 0&ndash;14 || 5,560,489 || 5,293,871 || 18.0
|-
| 15&ndash;64 || 20,193,876 || 19,736,516 || 66.3
|-
| 65+ || 4,027,721 || 5,458,235 || 15.7 
|}

===Fertility===
In 2006 the UK's total fertility rate (TFR) was 1.84 children per woman, below the replacement rate of 2.1. In 2001, the TFR was at a record low of 1.63, but it has increased each year since. The TFR was considerably higher during the 1960s 'baby boom', peaking at 2.95 children per woman in 1964.<ref></ref> TFR varies widely across the UK, standing at 1.94 in Northern Ireland, 1.67 in Scotland, and 1.86 in England and Wales.

The TFR for British residents also varies by country of birth. In England and Wales in 1996, people born in the UK had a TFR of 1.67, India 2.21 and Pakistan and Bangladesh 4.90, for example.<ref>Charles F. Westoff and Tomas Frejka, [http://paa2007.princeton.edu/download.aspx?submissionId=70869 Fertility and religiousness among European Muslims], 21 February 2007, accessed 22 September 2007</ref>

==Ethnicity==

''From the 2001 UK Census:''

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right; font-size:95%;"
!width="140px"| Ethnic group               !! Population      !! % of total*
|-
|align="left"| White British                   ||  || 85.67%</tr>
|align="left"| White (other)                  ||   ||  5.27%</tr>
|align="left"| Indian                ||   ||  1.8%</tr>
|align="left"| Pakistani                   ||    ||  1.3%</tr>
|align="left"| Mixed race                  ||    ||  1.2%</tr>
|align="left"| White Irish    ||    ||  1.2%</tr>
|align="left"| Black Caribbean             ||    ||  1.0%</tr>
|align="left"| Black African               ||    ||  0.8%</tr>
|align="left"| Bangladeshi                 ||    ||  0.5%</tr>
|align="left"| Other Asian (non-Chinese)   ||    ||  0.4%</tr>
|align="left"| Chinese     ||    ||  0.4%</tr>
|align="left"| Other                           ||    ||  0.4%</tr>
|align="left"| Black (others) ||     ||  0.2%</tr>
|-
|colspan="3" align="left"| 

|}

==Religion==

The traditional Anglican). In disestablished in sectarian divide between Roman Catholic and Protestant communities.

Le densité moyenne d’environ 248 habitants par km², l’île possède une des plus fortes densités d’Europe. L’Angleterre, avec 83% de la population totale, est la nation du Royaume-Uni la plus peuplée (380 habitants par km²). L’Écosse, accueillant un peu moins de 9% de la population, est la moins densément peuplée (65 habitants au km²). Le pays de Galles et l’Irlande du Nord accueillent respectivement 5% et 3% de la population britannique (141 et 119 habitants par km²).

==Structure de la population==
{{Structure de la population
| nom= Structure de la population du Royaume-Uni
| image1=thumb|350px|center|Évolution démographique
| image2=
| population= 60&nbsp;609&nbsp;153
| densité= 247,6
| croissance= 0,28
| médian= 39,3
| hommes= 38,2
| femmes= 40,4
| 0-14= 17,5
| 15-64= 66,8
| 65+= 15,8
| masculinité1= 0,98
| masculinité2= 1,05
| masculinité3= 1,05
| masculinité4= 1,02
| masculinité5= 0,75
| urbain= 89
| source= ''The World Factbook, CIA<ref name="CIA"> [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uk.html The World Factbook, CIA (2006)]</ref>''; ''ONU<ref> [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/socind/hum-sets.htm ONU (2004)]</ref>''; ''FAO''
}}<br clear="all"/>
==Evolution historique==

Alors que la France comptait déjà près de 25 millions d'habitants en 1750, à cette époque la Grande-Bretagne en comptait plus de trois fois moins. Tout au long de la pérode allant de 1750 à 1900, la Grande-Bretagne a connu un intense accroissement démographique qui lui a permis de rattraper puis dépasser la France, malgré une émigration importante de ses citoyens. Au cours de la première moitié du XXe siècle, la persistance d'une basse natalité en France additionnée aux pertes importantes de la première Guerre mondiale, ont fait que la population du Royaume-Uni dépasse celle de la France, de près 20 % au lendemain de la seconde Guerre mondiale.

Les chiffres suivants ne concernent que l'étendue actuelle du Royaume-Uni, à l'exclusion du territoire de la république d'Irlande devenue indépendante au XXe siècle. Etant donné que la population de cette dernière était évaluée à 2 millions d'habitants en 1750, la population de la Grande-Bretagne de l'époque, dans ses frontières d'alors, était de 9,5 millions d'habitants.

{| class="wikitable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"
!Année
!Population<br>Royaume-Uni
!Population<br>France
|-
|1750
| align="right" |7 500 000  
| align="right" |24 500 000
|-
|1801
| align="right" |11 900 000
| align="right" |29 361 000  
|-
|1811
| align="right" |13 400 000 
| align="right" |30 271 000
|-
|1821
| align="right" |15 500 000 
| align="right" |31 578 000
|-
|1841
| align="right" |20 200 000  
| align="right" |34 912 000
|-
|1861
| align="right" |24 500 000 
| align="right" |37 386 000 
|-
|1871
| align="right" |27 400 000 
| align="right" |37 600 000
|-
|1891
| align="right" |37 700 000  
| align="right" |39 946 000
|-
|1901
| align="right" |41 500 000  
| align="right" |40 710 000 
|-
|1911
| align="right" |42 100 000 
| align="right" |41 420 000
|-
|1921
| align="right" |44 000 000  
| align="right" |39 140 000  
|-
|1931
| align="right" |46 000 000  
| align="right" |41 550 000
|-
|1951
| align="right" |50 200 000 
| align="right" |42 010 086
|-
|1961
| align="right" |52 700 000 
| align="right" |45 903 656
|-
|1971
| align="right" |55 500 000  
| align="right" |51 016 234
|-
|1981
| align="right" |55 800 000 
| align="right" |54 028 630
|-
|1991
| align="right" |56 300 000 
| align="right" |56 840 661  
|-
|2001
| align="right" |59 950 000  
| align="right" |59 200 049
|-
|2006
| align="right" |60 609 000  
| align="right" |61 044 684 
|-
|
| align="right" | 
| align="right" |
|-
|}

==Mouvement naturel de la population==

{| class="wikitable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"
!Année
!Naissances
!Taux natalité<br>en ‰
!Taux fécondité
!Nbre de décès 
!Taux mortalité<br>en ‰
|-
|1950
| align="right" |818 421  
| align="right" |16.2
| align="right" |n.d.
| align="right" |590 136	
| align="right" |11.6
|-
|1955
| align="right" |789 315  
| align="right" |15.4
| align="right" |n.d.
| align="right" |595 916	
| align="right" |11.6
|-
|1960
| align="right" |918 286 
| align="right" |17.5 
| align="right" |2.71 
| align="right" |604 592	
| align="right" |11.5
|-
|1964
| align="right" |1 014 672 
| align="right" |18.7 
| align="right" |2.95 
| align="right" |610 508	
| align="right" |11.3
|-
|1965
| align="right" |997 275 
| align="right" |18.3 
| align="right" |2.86 
| align="right" |627 567 
| align="right" |11.5
|-
|1970
| align="right" |903 907 
| align="right" |16.2 
| align="right" |2.43 
| align="right" |652 817	
| align="right" |11.7
|-
|1975
| align="right" |697 518 
| align="right" |12.4 
| align="right" |1.81 
| align="right" |661 803	
| align="right" |11.7
|-
|1980
| align="right" |753 708 
| align="right" |13.3 
| align="right" |1.89 
| align="right" |659 862	
| align="right" |11.7
|-
|1985
| align="right" |750 728 
| align="right" |13.2 
| align="right" |1.79 
| align="right" |670 656	
| align="right" |11.8
|-
|1990
| align="right" |798 612	
| align="right" |13.9	
| align="right" |1.83
| align="right" |641 799
| align="right" |11.2
|-
|1991 
| align="right" |792 506	
| align="right" |13.7	
| align="right" |1.82
| align="right" |646 181
| align="right" |11.2
|-
|1992 
| align="right" |780 799	
| align="right" |13.5	
| align="right" |1.79
| align="right" |634 238
| align="right" |11.0
|-
|1993
| align="right" |761 526	
| align="right" |13.1	
| align="right" |1.76
| align="right" |657 852
| align="right" |11.4
|-
|1994
| align="right" |750 480	
| align="right" |12.9	
| align="right" |1.74
| align="right" |627 637
| align="right" |10.8
|-
|1995 
| align="right" |731 882	
| align="right" |12.6	
| align="right" |1.71
| align="right" |645 493
| align="right" |11.1
|-
|1996  
| align="right" |733 163	
| align="right" |12.6	
| align="right" |1.73
| align="right" |636 024
| align="right" |10.9
|-
|1997 
| align="right" |726 622	
| align="right" |12.4	
| align="right" |1.73
| align="right" |629 746
| align="right" |10.8
|-
|1998 
| align="right" |716 889	
| align="right" |12.2	
| align="right" |1.71
| align="right" |629 172
| align="right" |10.7
|-
|1999 
| align="right" |699 979	
| align="right" |11.9	
| align="right" |1.68
| align="right" |632 062
| align="right" |10.8
|-
|2000
| align="right" |679 029	
| align="right" |11.5	
| align="right" |1.64
| align="right" |608 366
| align="right" |10.3
|-
|2001 
| align="right" |669 123	
| align="right" |11.3	
| align="right" |1.63
| align="right" |602 268
| align="right" |10.2
|-
|2002 
| align="right" |668 777	
| align="right" |11.2	
| align="right" |1.64
| align="right" |606 216
| align="right" |10.2
|-
|2002/3
| align="right" |681 700
| align="right" |
| align="right" |n.d.
| align="right" |604 800
| align="right" |
|-
|2003/4 
| align="right" |707 100
| align="right" |
| align="right" |n.d.
| align="right" |603 100
| align="right" |
|-
|2004/5 
| align="right" |717 500
| align="right" |
| align="right" |n.d.
| align="right" |590 600
| align="right" |
|-
!Année
!Naissances
!Taux natalité<br>en ‰
!Taux fécondité
!Nbre de décès 
!Taux mortalité<br>en ‰
|-
|}

Note : "n.d." = non disponible

'''Sources :'''
* De 1950 à 2002 <ref>[http://www.ined.fr/fr/pop_chiffres/pays_developpes/conjoncture/differents_indicateurs/ Institut national d'études démographique (INED)]</ref> - données du 1 janvier au 31 décembre
* A partir de 2002/2003 <ref>[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?ID=950 UK Office for National Statistics estimate]</ref> - données du 1 juillet au 30 juin

==Natalité==
{{Natalité
| nom= Natalité au Royaume-Uni
| image1= 
| image2=
| natalité= 10,71
| fécondité= 1,66
| source= ''The World Factbook, CIA<ref name="CIA"/>''
}}<br clear="all"/>

==Mortalité==
{{Mortalité
| nom= Mortalité au Royaume-Uni
| image1= 
| image2=
| mortalité= 10,13
| infantile1= 5,08
| infantile2= 5,67
| infantile3= 4,47
| espérance1= 78,54
| espérance2= 76,09
| espérance3= 81,13
| source= ''The World Factbook, CIA<ref name="CIA"/>''
}}
<br clear="all"/>

==Immigration==

Selon l'''Office for National Statistics'', durant les trois années entre juillet 2001 et juillet 2004, la population du Royaume-Uni a augmenté de 721.500 habitants, dont 242.800 (soit 34%) étaient dus à l'accroissement naturel, et 478.500 (66%) à l'immigration<ref>[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?ID=950 UK Office for National Statistics estimate]</ref>. 

:'''Comparaison France-Royaume-Uni'''

:''L'immigration au Royaume-Uni, à l'image de l'ensemble de l'Europe dite des quinze, est nettement supérieure à l'immigration en France. En effet d'après l'INSEE française, durant les trois années allant de janvier 2001 à janvier 2004 la population de la France métropolitaine avait crû de 1.057.000 habitants, dont 678.000 (64%) étaient dus à l'accroissement naturel, et seulement 379.500 (36%) à l'immigration. Les proportions sont donc inverses dans les deux pays, et l'immigration au Royaume-Uni est plus de moitié supérieure à celle que connaît la France'' <ref>[http://www.insee.fr/fr/ffc/docs_ffc/IP1000.pdf INSEE Première n° 1000] </ref>.