Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Electoral divisions of the parliament of the United Kingdom
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The Parliament of the United Kingdom currently has 650 parliamentary constituencies across the constituent countries (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland), each electing a single member of parliament (MP) to the House of Commons by the plurality (first-past-the-post) voting system, ordinarily every five years. Voting last took place in all 650 of those constituencies at the United Kingdom general election on 4 July 2024.
| United Kingdom parliamentary constituencies | |
|---|---|
Constituencies after the 2023 Periodic Review | |
| Category | Electoral district |
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Number | 650 (as of 2023) |
| Government | |
The number of seats rose from 646 to 650 at the 2010 general election after proposals made by the boundary commissions for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies) were adopted through statutory instruments.[1][2][3][4] Constituencies in Scotland remained unchanged at the 2010 election, as the Boundary Commission for Scotland had completed a review just before the 2005 general election, which had resulted in a reduction of 13 seats.
The most recent boundary review was conducted in 2023, with changes to the boundaries of constituencies across the UK. As part of the review to reflect population changes, England gained ten seats, while Wales lost eight seats, and Scotland lost two seats, while Northern Ireland's number of seats remained the same.[5]
Primary legislation provides for the independence of the boundary commissions for each of the four parts of the UK, the number of seats for each of the countries, permissible factors to use in departing from any old boundaries, and a strong duty to consult. The Fifth Review was governed by the Parliamentary Constituencies Act of 1986. Under the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011, as amended by the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 2020, the number of MPs is now fixed at 650. The Sainte-Laguë formula method is used to form groups of seats split between the four parts of the United Kingdom and the English regions (as defined by the NUTS 1 statistical regions of England).[6]
Overview
The table below gives the number of eligible voters broken down by constituent country, including the average constituency size in each country.
| Year | 2000 | 2010 | 2015 | 2017[7] | 2019[8] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers | % | Numbers | % | Numbers | % | Numbers | % | Numbers | % | |
| Total electorate for each constituent country | ||||||||||
| England | 36,994,681 | 83.47% | 38,432,802 | 83.81% | 38,736,146 | 83.57% | 38,693,900 | 83.85% | 39,901,035 | 83.88% |
| Scotland | 3,995,489 | 9.02% | 3,929,956 | 8.57% | 4,099,532 | 8.84% | 3,950,600 | 8.56% | 4,053,056 | 8.52% |
| Wales | 2,225,689 | 5.02% | 2,302,300 | 5.02% | 2,281,754 | 4.92% | 2,261,200 | 4.90% | 2,319,690 | 4.88% |
| Northern Ireland | 1,103,670 | 2.49% | 1,190,635 | 2.60% | 1,236,765 | 2.67% | 1,242,300 | 2.69% | 1,293,971 | 2.72% |
| UK total | 44,319,529 | — | 45,855,693 | — | 46,354,197 | — | 46,148,000 | — | 47,567,752 | — |
| Average electorate per constituency for each constituent country | ||||||||||
| England | 69,408 | 101.80% | 72,107 | 102.21% | 72,676 | 101.91% | 72,596 | 102.25% | 74,861 | 102.30% |
| Scotland | 67,720 | 99.32% | 66,609 | 94.42% | 69,484 | 97.43% | 66,959 | 94.31% | 68,696 | 93.87% |
| Wales | 55,642 | 81.61% | 57,558 | 81.59% | 57,044 | 79.99% | 56,530 | 79.62% | 57,992 | 79.24% |
| Northern Ireland | 61,315 | 89.93% | 66,146 | 93.76% | 68,709 | 96.35% | 69,017 | 97.21% | 71,887 | 98.23% |
| Overall UK average | 68,184 | — | 70,547 | — | 71,314 | — | 70,997 | — | 73,181 | — |
As of 2023, every recommended constituency must have an electorate as at 2 March 2020 that is no smaller than 69,724 and no larger than 77,062.[9] The exceptions to this rule are five 'protected' constituencies for island areas: Orkney and Shetland, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Ynys Mon, and two constituencies on the Isle of Wight.[10] These consequently have smaller electorates than the lower limit for other constituencies.
Geographical size of constituencies
| Largest | Smallest | |
|---|---|---|
| England | Hexham 2,774 square kilometres (1,071 sq mi) | Bethnal Green and Stepney 6.13 square kilometres (2.37 sq mi) |
| Scotland | Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross 11,636 square kilometres (4,493 sq mi) | Glasgow West 18.66 square kilometres (7.20 sq mi) |
| Wales | Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe 3,095 square kilometres (1,195 sq mi) | Cardiff East 28.68 square kilometres (11.07 sq mi) |
| Northern Ireland | Fermanagh and South Tyrone 2,561 square kilometres (989 sq mi) | Belfast North 38.34 square kilometres (14.80 sq mi) |
Parliamentary constituencies in the United Kingdom
As of the 2024 election there are 543 constituencies in England, 32 in Wales, 57 in Scotland and 18 in Northern Ireland.
England
The "Region" of the table refers to the NUTS 1 statistical region of England, which coincides with the former European Parliament constituency in which the constituency was included until 31 January 2020.
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
Recent boundary reviews
Following the abandonment of the Sixth Periodic Review (the 2018 review), the Boundary Commissions formally launched the 2023 Review on 5 January 2021 and published their final proposals on 28 June 2023.[16]
See 2023 review of Westminster constituencies and List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies (2024–present) by region for further details.
Summary of main boundary changes for the 2024 election
- England – gained 10 seats
- Scotland – lost 2 seats
- Northern Ireland – no change
- Wales – lost 8 seats