Population during each first minister's tenure
4 first ministers, ranked by how population changed from their first day in office, next to the United Kingdom over the same months. Politare shows what happened during a tenure; it does not claim the office-holder caused it.
| # | First minister | Country | In office | Total | vs UK | Per year | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Con David Cameron | England | 11 May 2010 – 13 Jul 2016 | +5.9% 2009 → 2016 | +0.6 pts UK +5.4% | +0.8%/yr | |
| 2 | DUP Peter Robinson | Northern Ireland | 5 Jun 2008 – 11 Jan 2016 | +5.3% 2007 → 2015 | −0.9 pts UK +6.1% | +0.6%/yr | |
| 3 | Lab Tony Blair | England | 2 May 1997 – 27 Jun 2007 | +5.0% 1996 → 2006 | +0.5 pts UK +4.6% | +0.5%/yr | |
| 4 | Lab Rhodri Morgan | Wales | 9 Feb 2000 – 10 Dec 2009 | +4.8% 1999 → 2009 | −1.3 pts UK +6.1% | +0.5%/yr | |
| 5 | SNP Alex Salmond | Scotland | 16 May 2007 – 20 Nov 2014 | +3.9% 2006 → 2014 | −2.4 pts UK +6.2% | +0.5%/yr | |
| 6 | Lab Mark Drakeford | Wales | 13 Dec 2018 – 20 Mar 2024 | +2.6% 2018 → 2023 | −0.8 pts UK +3.5% | +0.5%/yr | |
| 7 | Lab Gordon Brown | England | 27 Jun 2007 – 11 May 2010 | +2.4% 2006 → 2009 | +0.1 pts UK +2.4% | +0.8%/yr | |
| 8 | SNP Nicola Sturgeon | Scotland | 20 Nov 2014 – 29 Mar 2023 | +2.2% 2014 → 2022 | −2.6 pts UK +4.7% | +0.3%/yr | |
| 9 | Con Boris Johnson | England | 24 Jul 2019 – 6 Sep 2022 | +1.7% 2019 → 2022 | +0.1 pts UK +1.6% | +0.6%/yr | |
| 10 | Con Theresa May | England | 13 Jul 2016 – 24 Jul 2019 | +1.7% 2016 → 2019 | +0.1 pts UK +1.6% | +0.6%/yr |
Showing 10 of 14 tenures.
Sorted by total, highest first. Every row is indexed to the last count complete before the first day in office ("from" marks a start that had to move because that count had no data, or because the period cut it); the United Kingdom is measured over the same months. Levels are per cent changes, rates are differences in %; "per year" compounds levels and divides rates. Tenures with under 12 months, or under three observations, are left out. thousands, mid-year estimate · ONS mid-year population estimates via nomis (NM_2002_1) · nation data · as of Jul 2026.