New Forest population, 2001–2024
New Forest has an estimated population of 176,116 (mid-2024), up 3.9% since 2001. Official ONS mid-year estimates for the New Forest local authority area.
176,116
population, mid-2024
+3.9%
since 2001
-1.0%
last 10 years
2014
peak year (177,875)
Year by year
| Year | Population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 176,116 | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 175,724 | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 175,937 | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 176,217 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 175,937 | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 177,111 | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 177,525 | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 177,616 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 177,855 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 177,813 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 177,875 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 177,362 | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 177,030 | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 176,789 | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 176,323 | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 175,432 | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 174,548 | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 174,048 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 173,269 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 172,423 | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 171,769 | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 171,256 | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 170,595 | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 169,506 | — |
Food businesses
New Forest has 109 takeaways, 275 restaurants and cafés and 187 pubs and bars on the FSA's statutory register (as of July 2026) — 0.40 takeaways per restaurant against an English average of 0.49, and 6.2 takeaways per 10,000 residents. How that compares across England.
Figures are ONS mid-year population estimates for the New Forest local authority area (code E07000091), which can differ from the population of a town of the same name. Sources & method.