Area type
Unitary Authority
Land area
54 square kilometres
Fertility rate
1.81
Birth rate
12.6
Death rate
12.3
internal migration
-0.6%
international migration
0.8%
View trend
View trend
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The population of Middlesbrough is 143,734 according to mid-2021 population figures published by the ONS. Based on recent growth rates we estimate the current 2023 population of Middlesbrough to be 145,000. In the year between mid-2020 and mid-2021, the population in Middlesbrough grew by an estimated 2,449 people, and in the ten years prior to mid-2021, the population grew by 5,008. Compare population by area.
Middlesbrough's population growth rate between mid-2020 and mid-2021 was 1.7%, which is 1.3% higher than the average population growth rate in Middlesbrough for the ten years prior to mid-2021 (0.4%).
Middlesbrough covers an area of 54 square kilometres (21 square miles) and has a population density of 2,667 people per square kilometre (km2), based on the latest population estimates taken in mid-2021. That figure has increased by 93 people per km2 over the past decade.
Between mid-2019 and mid-2020, net internal migration out of Middlesbrough was 908, and net international migration into Middlesbrough was 1,134.
Middlesbrough's fertility rate (the total number of children that would be born to the average woman in Middlesbrough if she were to live to the end of her child-bearing years) of 1.81, and birth rate (the number of live births per thousand of population per year) of 12.6, led to population increases of 1,783 during the year, and Middlesbrough's death rate or mortality rate (the number of deaths per thousand of population per year) of 12.3 resulted in a 1,735 population decrease. In total, a net 48 person natural increase.
During the past decade, internal migration has fallen from a net outflow of 673 in 2011 to a net 908 outflow. International migration has risen from a net inflow of 395 in 2011 to an inflow of 1,134 in 2021.
The natural increase in population, due to births and deaths, has fallen from an annual net increase of 640 people in 2011 to 48 in 2021.
International migration was the largest driver of population change over the past decade, representing circa 270% of the total change in population (over 100% as other factors were net outflows).
Middlesbrough Salary
Rental Market of Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough Economy
Middlesbrough's population, population density, and population growth rate, over the past decade.
Figures reported by the ONS in 2022.
Year | Population | Growth rate | Population Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 143,734 | 1.73% | 2,667 |
| 2020 | 141,285 | 0.22% | 2,622 |
| 2019 | 140,980 | 0.31% | 2,616 |
| 2018 | 140,545 | -0.07% | 2,608 |
| 2017 | 140,639 | 0.22% | 2,610 |
| 2016 | 140,326 | 0.73% | 2,604 |
| 2015 | 139,310 | 0.23% | 2,585 |
| 2014 | 138,991 | 0.06% | 2,579 |
| 2013 | 138,911 | 0.13% | 2,578 |
| 2012 | 138,726 | 2,574 |
Middlesbrough's forecast, population density, and population growth rate, over the next twenty years. Figures reported by the ONS in 2018.
The population of Middlesbrough is forecast to be 139,762 in 2025 and 139,361 in 2030.
Year | Population | Growth rate | Population Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 140,037 | 2,599 | |
| 2024 | 139,900 | -0.10% | 2,596 |
| 2025 | 139,762 | -0.10% | 2,594 |
| 2026 | 139,650 | -0.08% | 2,591 |
| 2027 | 139,558 | -0.07% | 2,590 |
| 2028 | 139,483 | -0.05% | 2,588 |
| 2029 | 139,422 | -0.04% | 2,587 |
| 2030 | 139,361 | -0.04% | 2,586 |
| 2031 | 139,314 | -0.03% | 2,585 |
| 2032 | 139,255 | -0.04% | 2,584 |
Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2022. Data sources: ONS Local statistics