Cardiff Population 2024

Cardiff's 2024 population is now estimated at 491,755In 1950, the population of Cardiff was 310,229Cardiff has grown by 3,602 in the last year, which represents a 0.74% annual change.These population estimates and projections come from the latest revision of the UN World Urbanization Prospects. These estimates represent the Urban agglomeration of Cardiff, which typically includes Cardiff's population in addition to adjacent suburban areas.

Cardiff is the largest city and capital of Wales. It's the main commercial and cultural center of the country with an estimated population of 350,000 in 2014, which makes it the 9th largest city in the United Kingdom.

Cardiff has an estimated population of 357,200, as estimated by the Office for National Statistics. The Larger Urban Zone has an estimated population of 890,000, however.

City Size and Population Density

The city proper has a population density of 6,400 people per square mile (2,500 per square kilometer) and covers a total area of 140.3 square kilometers. The Cardiff-Newport metropolitan area has a population of 1.1 million.

More than 18 million people visit Cardiff each year, which makes it the 6th most popular alternative tourist destination according to National Geographic.

Cardiff Demographics

Cardiff has a very diverse population with a history of trade connections, post-war immigration and international students who attend university. At the 2011 census, the racial and ethnic composition of Cardiff was:

  • White: 84.7%
  • Asian: 8%
  • Black: 2.4%
  • Arab: 1.4%
  • Mixed White and Black African/Caribbean: 1.6%
  • Mixed White and Asian: 0.7%
  • Mixed-other: 0.6%
  • Other ethnic groups: 0.6%

More than 54,000 people in Cardiff belong to a non-white ethnic group.

Cardiff has a Roman Catholic cathedral, and it has been the seat of a Catholic archbishop since the turn of the 20th century, although the Catholic population has fallen. The Jewish population has also dropped. The oldest non-Christian community in Cardiff is Jewish. Jews were not allowed to live in Wales between 1290 and the 17th century, and the Welsh Jewish community was re-established in the 1700s. There is also a Muslim population of about 4%, which is well above the Welsh average and the UK average of 2.7%. In 2001, 19% of the city's population said they had no religion at the census, and nearly 9% did not state a faith.

Interestingly, Cardiff has the smallest percentage of people over 65 living in Wales at 13%.

Cardiff Population Growth

Except for a time of decline during the 1970s and 1980s, Cardiff's population has continually grown since 1801 when the community was barely over 6,000 residents. Early population increases over the years sometimes exceeded additions of more than 30,000 persons every ten years.

In 2008, it was the fastest-growing local authority in Wales with a growth rate of 1.2%. Between 2001 and 2011, Cardiff grew by 46,000, which was 25% of the country's growth, and it now represents 30% of the country's growth. 90% of the increase in the country is due to migration, not natural growth.

The population of Cardiff has grown so rapidly over the last decade that a new "garden city" has been proposed to the west to accommodate the rising population.

Country
United Kingdom
Growth Rate
0.74%

Cardiff Population 2024

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Growth
1950 310,229 0% 0
1951 311,106 0.28% 877
1952 311,987 0.28% 881
1953 312,868 0.28% 881
1954 313,753 0.28% 885
1955 314,641 0.28% 888
1956 315,532 0.28% 891
1957 316,423 0.28% 891
1958 317,318 0.28% 895
1959 318,215 0.28% 897
1960 319,117 0.28% 902
1961 319,800 0.21% 683
1962 319,550 -0.08% -250
1963 319,301 -0.08% -249
1964 319,052 -0.08% -249
1965 318,803 -0.08% -249
1966 318,554 -0.08% -249
1967 318,306 -0.08% -248
1968 318,057 -0.08% -249
1969 317,809 -0.08% -248
1970 317,561 -0.08% -248
1971 317,877 0.1% 316
1972 320,716 0.89% 2,839
1973 323,572 0.89% 2,856
1974 326,458 0.89% 2,886
1975 329,370 0.89% 2,912
1976 332,312 0.89% 2,942
1977 335,272 0.89% 2,960
1978 338,262 0.89% 2,990
1979 341,279 0.89% 3,017
1980 344,327 0.89% 3,048
1981 347,394 0.89% 3,067
1982 350,492 0.89% 3,098
1983 353,618 0.89% 3,126
1984 356,777 0.89% 3,159
1985 359,954 0.89% 3,177
1986 363,165 0.89% 3,211
1987 366,404 0.89% 3,239
1988 369,676 0.89% 3,272
1989 372,969 0.89% 3,293
1990 376,295 0.89% 3,326
1991 379,384 0.82% 3,089
1992 381,639 0.59% 2,255
1993 383,901 0.59% 2,262
1994 386,180 0.59% 2,279
1995 388,473 0.59% 2,293
1996 390,782 0.59% 2,309
1997 393,099 0.59% 2,317
1998 395,432 0.59% 2,333
1999 397,779 0.59% 2,347
2000 400,144 0.59% 2,365
2001 402,852 0.68% 2,708
2002 407,204 1.08% 4,352
2003 411,603 1.08% 4,399
2004 416,056 1.08% 4,453
2005 420,545 1.08% 4,489
2006 425,089 1.08% 4,544
2007 429,681 1.08% 4,592
2008 434,330 1.08% 4,649
2009 439,016 1.08% 4,686
2010 443,759 1.08% 4,743
2011 448,118 0.98% 4,359
2012 451,294 0.71% 3,176
2013 454,485 0.71% 3,191
2014 457,702 0.71% 3,217
2015 460,942 0.71% 3,240
2016 464,210 0.71% 3,268
2017 467,501 0.71% 3,291
2018 470,816 0.71% 3,315
2019 474,187 0.72% 3,371
2020 477,627 0.73% 3,440
2021 481,082 0.72% 3,455
2022 484,591 0.73% 3,509
2023 488,153 0.74% 3,562
2024 491,755 0.74% 3,602
2025 495,378 0.74% 3,623
2026 498,999 0.73% 3,621
2027 502,599 0.72% 3,600
2028 506,160 0.71% 3,561
2029 509,672 0.69% 3,512
2030 513,129 0.68% 3,457
2031 516,525 0.66% 3,396
2032 519,856 0.64% 3,331
2033 523,130 0.63% 3,274
2034 526,353 0.62% 3,223
2035 529,536 0.6% 3,183
showing: 86 rows

Cardiff Population Data (Urban Area)

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Other Cities in United Kingdom

  1. Welsh Government - Welsh government statistics, research and census of population
  2. Ask Cardiff - Facts and Stats - Population and Demography

Sources