Area type
Unitary Authority
Land area
343 square kilometres
Fertility rate
2.01
Birth rate
13.6
Death rate
8.4
internal migration
-0.6%
international migration
0.4%
View trend
View trend
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The population of Peterborough is 216,349 according to mid-2021 population figures published by the ONS. Based on recent growth rates we estimate the current 2023 population of Peterborough to be 222,000. In the year between mid-2020 and mid-2021, the population in Peterborough grew by an estimated 13,723 people, and in the ten years prior to mid-2021, the population grew by 29,753. Compare population by area.
Peterborough's population growth rate between mid-2020 and mid-2021 was 6.8%, which is 5.1% higher than the average population growth rate in Peterborough for the ten years prior to mid-2021 (1.7%).
Peterborough covers an area of 343 square kilometres (133 square miles) and has a population density of 630 people per square kilometre (km2), based on the latest population estimates taken in mid-2021. That figure has increased by 87 people per km2 over the past decade.
Between mid-2019 and mid-2020, net internal migration out of Peterborough was 1,404, and net international migration into Peterborough was 896.
Peterborough's fertility rate (the total number of children that would be born to the average woman in Peterborough if she were to live to the end of her child-bearing years) of 2.01, and birth rate (the number of live births per thousand of population per year) of 13.6, led to population increases of 2,758 during the year, and Peterborough's death rate or mortality rate (the number of deaths per thousand of population per year) of 8.4 resulted in a 1,694 population decrease. In total, a net 1,064 person natural increase.
During the past decade, internal migration has fallen from a net outflow of 1,002 in 2011 to a net 1,404 outflow. International migration has fallen from a net inflow of 1,338 in 2011 to an inflow of 896 in 2021.
The natural increase in population, due to births and deaths, has fallen from an annual net increase of 1,793 people in 2011 to 1,064 in 2021.
Births and deaths was the largest driver of population change over the past decade, representing circa 75% of the total change in population.
Peterborough Salary
Rental Market of Peterborough
Peterborough Economy
Peterborough'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 | 216,349 | 6.77% | 630 |
| 2020 | 202,626 | 0.18% | 590 |
| 2019 | 202,259 | 0.61% | 589 |
| 2018 | 201,041 | 1.07% | 585 |
| 2017 | 198,914 | 1.11% | 579 |
| 2016 | 196,735 | 1.59% | 573 |
| 2015 | 193,657 | 1.66% | 564 |
| 2014 | 190,493 | 1.13% | 555 |
| 2013 | 188,371 | 0.95% | 549 |
| 2012 | 186,596 | 543 |
Peterborough's forecast, population density, and population growth rate, over the next twenty years. Figures reported by the ONS in 2018.
The population of Peterborough is forecast to be 214,847 in 2025 and 221,063 in 2030.
Year | Population | Growth rate | Population Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 211,688 | 616 | |
| 2024 | 213,343 | 0.78% | 621 |
| 2025 | 214,847 | 0.71% | 626 |
| 2026 | 216,231 | 0.64% | 630 |
| 2027 | 217,530 | 0.60% | 634 |
| 2028 | 218,774 | 0.57% | 637 |
| 2029 | 219,948 | 0.54% | 641 |
| 2030 | 221,063 | 0.51% | 644 |
| 2031 | 222,079 | 0.46% | 647 |
| 2032 | 223,075 | 0.45% | 650 |
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