- Jewish Population
- Largest in Britain outside London
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: macrotrends.net, worldpopulationreview.com
Good to know
Good to Know
- Manchester is significantly more diverse and relatively younger than the UK national average
- City experienced rapid population growth since 2022, including international students and workers from non-EU countries
- Ethnic minority populations concentrated in Rusholme, Cheetham Hill, Moss Side, and Longsight areas
- Tech ecosystem characterized by strong community focus and emphasis on giving back to startup ecosystem, unlike London's more competitive environment
- University of Manchester has over half its 40,000+ graduates choosing to pursue careers in the city, creating stable talent pool
- City centers like Oxford Road and MediaCityUK attracting significant commercial development investment
- Tech sector focused on emerging technologies; over 20% projected growth expected in coming years
Languages
18.3% do not speak English as their main language; under 2% unable to speak English at all
Population
- City
- 605521
- Year
- 2026
- Metro Area
- 2853000
Ethnic Diversity
- Arab
- 1.9
- Asian
- 17.1
- Black
- 8.6
- Other
- Remaining percentage
- White
- 56.8
- Mixed Race
- 4.7
Jewish Population
Largest in Britain outside London
Population Growth
Rapid growth, with city population increasing 94,000 over the past decade. Metro area growing approximately 0.75% annually.
Notable Nationalities
Pakistan
- Rank
- 1
- Notes
- Largest non-UK born population group; immigration dating from 1950s
Significant EU immigration, particularly post-2001
- Rank
- 2
- Country
- Poland
China
- Rank
- 3
- Notes
- Large student population; Chinatown with third-largest Chinese population in Europe
Nigeria
- Rank
- 4
India
- Rank
- 5
Somalia
- Rank
- 6
Jamaica
- Rank
- 7
Bangladesh
- Rank
- 8
Ireland
- Rank
- 9
Germany
- Rank
- 10
Foreign Born Percentage
31.4
Tech And Business Presence
- Overview
- Second-largest tech hub in UK outside London with thriving startup ecosystem
- Startup Count
- 1600
- Tech Employment
- 60000
- Digital Ecosystem Value
- £5 billion
- Recent Funding Activity
- 2023: £265 million in equity deals across 300 funding rounds (down from £336m in 2022)
- Universities And Innovation
- University of Manchester ranks 8th in UK, 4th for Engineering/Technology; 40,000+ students from 160 countries; Innovation Factory supporting spinouts and commercialisation
- Total Digital Tech Businesses
- 10000
- Venture Capital Funding 5 Years
- Over £1.8 billion invested
Key Sectors
- Software-as-a-service (SaaS)
- Internet platforms
- Fintech
- Mobile apps
- Cybersecurity
- E-commerce
- Digital health
- Artificial intelligence
- Clean energy/sustainability
- Biotechnology
Innovation Districts
- Sister innovation district on Oxford Road Corridor (projected 10,000 new jobs)
- Enterprise City (tech, media, creative cluster at Old Granada Studios)
- MediaCityUK in Salford (creative hub)
- Bruntwood SciTech (innovation ecosystems with lab and office space)
Major Tech Companies
- IBM
- Amazon
- Siemens
- Microsoft
- Starling Bank
Notable Exits And Unicorns
- The Hut Group (e-commerce)
- AutoTrader (vehicle marketplace)
- Matillion (data integration)
- AO.com (e-retail)
- Boohoo (fast fashion retail)
- Booking.com (travel)
- Modern Milkman (online grocery)
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this local demographics research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
- 1.macrotrends.net
- 2.worldpopulationreview.com
- 3.leadinginmanchester.co.uk
- 4.manchester.gov.uk
- 5.en.wikipedia.org
- 6.migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk
- 7.en.uhomes.com
- 8.beauhurst.com
- 9.eu-startups.com
- 10.mrjrecruitment.com
- 11.failory.com
- 12.builtinmanchester.uk
- 13.maddyness.com
- 14.nucamp.co
- 15.startupblink.com
- 16.linkedin.com
More About Manchester
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.