UK in the 21st century

• Characteristics of the UK

  • Population density
  • Land use
  • Rainfall
  • Relief
• Population density


  The number of people living in a given area
• Population density in the UK

  • High in cities like London (5500 people per km^2)
  • High in areas around major cities or clusters of cities
  • Low in mountainous regions like northern Scotland or central Wales
  • Low in North England and West Wales
• High population density


  • Causes a shortage of available housing
  • Causes pressure on services like healthcare and schools
• Rainfall in the UK

  • High in the north and west
  • Lower in the south and east
  • Higher in coastal areas than inland
  • Higher in areas of higher elevation
• High population density and low rainfall

  Can cause water stress where there is not enough water to meet people's needs
• Land use in the UK

  • Most is agricultural land (70%)
  • Less than 10% is built on
  • 13% is forest
• Some areas are not used as much by humans and have been left in a fairly natural state such as the mountainous regions of northern Scotland
• In 2001, the population of the UK was about 59 million. By 2015, it was about 65 million
• Population has increased every year since 2001 but the growth rate has slowed down since 2011
• Demographic Transition Model (DTM)


  Shows how a country's population is likely to change as it develops based on changing births and death rates
• The UK is at stage 4 of the DTM
• In the UK, birth rate and death rate have fallen over the past 300 years. It has been through stages 1-3 on the DTM
• Birth rate is now at 12 births per thousand people and the death rate is 9 deaths per thousand people. These are both low but the population is still growing slowly showing that the UK is at stage 4 of the DTM
• In the UK, migration is very prevalent. Roughly half of the UK's population growth is driven by natural increase while the other half is migration
• In 2915 over 600,000 people moved to the UK mostly from China, Australia and India
• The number of people moving to the UK has been greater than the number leaving in every year since 2001
• Net migration to the UK increased from 2001-2004, but stayed constant from 2004-2010 which then decreased in 2012 but is now increasing sharply
• The majority of migrants move to London and the south-east where the population growth is higher than elsewhere in the UK
• Migration affects the UK's position on the DTM by increasing the birth rate as migrants are young
• Boston


  A small port town in Lincolnshire
• Boston has a current population of around 69,500 people increasing by 15.9% between 2009-2011 due to young migrants having kids
• In comparison, the population for the whole of England increased by 7.9% during the same period. Boston's population grew significantly higher than the UK
• 10.6% of the population during this growth were from new eastern European countries such as Poland, Latvia or Lithuania
• Younger immigrants have lowered the average age
• 13% of the population of Boston are born in Eastern Europe
• Positive impacts of immigration in Boston

  • New shops and businesses opening
  • Migrants filling workforce needs
  • Introduction of new cultures
• Negative impacts of immigration in Boston

  • Homelessness and environmental issues
  • Lower wages and difficulty finding jobs
  • Rising tensions between migrants and locals
• The solution is to create more jobs and host events to boost Boston's image. There should also be signs in different languages meaning locals and migrants can communicate better
• In the UK, around 18% of the population are over 65
• Reasons for the UK's ageing population

  • Low birth rates
  • Increased life expectancy
• The proportion of older people isn't the same everywhere in the UK
• Areas with higher proportions of older people


  • Coastal areas especially in east and south west England
  • Areas with lower proportions of older people: Northern Ireland, Scotland, big cities
• Social effects of the UK's ageing population

  • Healthcare services under pressure
  • Some people act as unpaid carers for older relatives
  • Potential further drop in birth rates
  • Older people do more voluntary work
• Economic effects of the UK's ageing population

  • Taxes rise to pay for healthcare and services
  • Older people pay less tax
  • Older people have more disposable income
• Responses to the UK's ageing population

  • Increase taxes or cut spending in other areas to fund more support and medical care
  • Raise pension age so people stay in work longer
  • Encourage people to save more for retirement
• Between 1997 and 2007, the UK economy grew strongly and unemployment decreased. This was partly due to government priorities
• The government encouraged investment in new technologies such as computing industries and AI. Companies such as Pfizer, Astrazeneca, google, apple and meta (grows
• The government may need to increase taxes or cut spending in other areas such as education


  To fund more support and medical care
• The government is raising the age at which people can claim a pension so people stay in work longer contributing to taxes and pensions for longer