Watford population, 2001–2024
Watford has an estimated population of 107,171 (mid-2024), up 33.3% since 2001. Official ONS mid-year estimates for the Watford local authority area.
107,171
population, mid-2024
+33.3%
since 2001
+9.2%
last 10 years
2024
peak year (107,171)
Year by year
| Year | Population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 107,171 | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 105,261 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 103,038 | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 102,507 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 102,322 | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 102,172 | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 101,658 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 100,957 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 100,458 | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 99,449 | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 98,101 | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 95,732 | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 93,066 | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 90,653 | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 88,574 | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 86,472 | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 84,776 | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 82,899 | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 82,145 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 82,138 | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 81,097 | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 80,644 | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 80,185 | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 80,398 | — |
Food businesses
Watford has 78 takeaways, 229 restaurants and cafés and 45 pubs and bars on the FSA's statutory register (as of July 2026) — 0.34 takeaways per restaurant against an English average of 0.49, and 7.3 takeaways per 10,000 residents. How that compares across England.
Figures are ONS mid-year population estimates for the Watford local authority area (code E07000103), which can differ from the population of a town of the same name. Sources & method.