Edinburgh population trends over the years 1950-2024

Edinburgh's population trend over the years shows that the Capital has continued to grow since 1991, with UN projections expecting the population to continue to rise.

Macrotrends' UK Metro Area Population 1950-2024 figures show the population in Edinburgh over the past 74 years. After rising by 10,000 during the 1950s, the city's population dropped slightly in the 1960s and went down sharper in the 1970s. This drop in the number of people living here stalled in the 1980s, before rising sharply in the 1990s and staying on an upwards trajectory into the 21st century.

UN projections expect Edinburgh's population to continue to rise from the current figure of 559,000 to 604,000 by 2035.

Edinburgh 1950s

Edinburgh's population stood at 453,000 in 1950, rising steadily every year that decade to a high of 463,000 in 1959 as the nation got back on its feet following World War 2.

Edinburgh 1960s

After a slight increase from 464,000 in 1960 to 465,000 in 1961, the population fell year on year throughout the swinging 60s, falling to 460,000 by the end of the decade.

The population of Edinburgh has continued to rise sine the early 1990s. | National World

Edinburgh 1970s

The population of Edinburgh fell even sharper in the decade of disco and punk, dropping every year from 459,000 in 1970 to 442,000 in 1975 and 427,000 by 1979.

Edinburgh 1980s

The Capital's population started the decade at 423,000, dropping to 420,000 the following year and staying around that level for the rest of the decade, with the figure standing at 419,000 in 1989.

Edinburgh 1990s

The 1990s saw the beginning of a sharp rise in the population of Edinburgh, starting the decade at 419,000 in 1990 before rising to 433,000 by 1995 and 447,000 by 1999.

Edinburgh 2000s

The population continued to rise as we entered a new century, rising from 451,000 in 2000 up to 466,000 in 2005 and 477,000 in 2009.

Edinburgh 2010s

The upward population trend continued into the next decade, starting off at 480,000 in 2010 and hitting half a million for the first time on record in Edinburgh in 2014 when it stood at 501,000. And by 2019, the population in the Capital was 531,000.

Edinburgh 2020s

The population of Edinburgh stood at 537,000 in 2020, as the world was hit by the Covid pandemic. It has jumped up every year again this decade, as it did the previous two decades, and now stands at 559,000.