Cambridge tops list of fastest growing cities by population growth

View from the tower of Great St Mary's Church, University of Cambridge, licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic terms

Cambridge has topped a list of fastest growing cities in the UK by population growth.

According to the Cities Outlook 2025 report, which provides a comprehensive and data-driven analysis of the current economic landscape, Cambridge’s population has grown by 17.3% since 2013, reaching 149,963 by 2023.

Furthermore, the same report reveals how Cambridge really is a hub for innovation, with the city having the third highest number of new economy firms per 10,000 working age population. Only Brighton (in first place) and London (in second place) had more such companies.

New economy firms are companies that use new technologies to create new products and services. They are often at the forefront of technological innovation and are considered to be the driving force of economic growth.

Cambridge also ranked fifth when it comes to average weekly earnings, with people in the city receiving £847.60 – well above the average of workplace wages in cities of £764.

Moreover, Cambridge was second in the UK in terms of unemployment benefit claimant count, suggesting that the city has strong employment prospects. Cambridge’s unemployment claimant count rate of just 2.1% was only very slightly behind York’s 1.9%.

The report also outlines how cities with highly-skilled residents are more productive, citing London, Edinburgh, Reading and Cambridge being in the top ten for both high-level qualification shares, and GVA per hour.

[Related reading: Cambridge named among England’s 15 most beautiful places to visit]

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