WIREDGOV

UK Electoral Statistics, 2013

• The total number of UK parliamentary electors in 2013 was 46,139,900, a fall of 0.5% from 2012.
• The total number of UK local government electors in 2013 was 47,691,800, a fall of 0.1% from 2012.
• Between 2012 and 2013, the number of both parliamentary and local government electors declined in both England and Northern Ireland, while the number of parliamentary electors declined in Wales. In Scotland, the number of both parliamentary and local government electors grew by approximately the same percentage as seen between 2011 and 2012.
• The number of parliamentary electors has declined in all regions of England between 2012 and 2013. The largest decrease (-1.7%) was in the West Midlands.
• Between 2012 and 2013, the number of local government electors has declined in five of the nine English regions. The other four have recorded growth, but less than that experienced between 2011 and 2012.
• In England, a factor in the decline in the number of both parliamentary and local government electors recorded between 2012 and 2013 is likely to be changes in administrative practices for including people who have failed to complete the annual voter registration form on the electoral register (known as ‘carried forward’ electors). It is also possible that administrative differences between local authority areas are contributing to the recorded regional variation.
• Electoral statistics are used by Boundary Commissions, the Electoral Commission, and central government to help with the improvement of electoral policies and for statutory reviews of parliamentary constituency boundaries.