Portsmouth and Gosport's population drops, but Havant's and Fareham's increases
Portsmouth’s population dropped - but some of its neighbours’ grew
New figures have shown how the population of Portsmouth and surrounding areas has changed in recent years.
The population of Portsmouth - those living within the city council boundaries - fell by 1,461 people between mid-2024 and mid-2025, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The city's estimated population stood at 211,475 in mid-2025, compared with 212,936 a year earlier. That represents a fall of 0.7 per cent.
The figures also show contrasting changes across neighbouring local authority areas.
In Gosport borough, the estimated population fell by 109 people, from 82,727 to 82,618 – a decrease of 0.1 per cent.
The borough of Fareham saw a small increase, with its population rising by 165 from 115,208 to 115,373, an increase of 0.1 per cent.
Havant borough's population increased by 568, rising from 126,794 to 127,362 – a rise of 0.4 per cent.
Further afield, the Winchester City Council area recorded a population increase of 1,412. Its estimated population rose from 135,444 in mid-2024 to 136,856 in mid-2025, an increase of one per cent.
The Southampton City Council area, meanwhile, saw its population fall by 1,374. The city's estimated population dropped from 260,604 to 259,230, a decrease of 0.5 per cent.
The local figures come as population growth across the UK slowed to its lowest rate outside the Covid-19 pandemic since 1998.
The total UK population stood at an estimated 69.5m in mid-2025, up by 227,665 on the previous 12 months. That represents an increase of 0.33 per cent.
Of 361 local authorities across the UK, 257 saw their population increase between mid-2024 and mid-2025, while 104 recorded a fall.
The ONS figures show that England's population increased by an estimated 0.39 per cent over the year.
Nationally, the slowdown in population growth has been linked mainly to a fall in net migration, which dropped from 651,700 in the previous 12 months to an estimated 222,900 in the year to mid-2025.
There were also 652,400 births and 647,500 deaths in the UK over the same period, meaning natural change contributed an increase of 4,900 people to the population.