Electoral registration at a glance
Key findings
Data from the 2025 electoral registers shows:
- 48 million people were on the local government register and 46 million on the parliamentary register in Great Britain – both down 0.6% and 1% respectively from the peak in 2024
- 167 thousand attainers were on the parliamentary register in Great Britain in 2025 – an increase of 4.2% from 2024 but 63.7% lower than the number of attainers in 2013
- registers are likely not reflecting all changes to electors' details. Response rates from households where there is a suspected change have declined since the introduction of the reformed canvass in 2020
- new approaches are needed so everyone can register easily and participate in our democracy – these include forms of assisted, integrated, direct or automatic registration
The size of the electorate
There are two types of electoral registers: parliamentary and local government registers.
There are two registers because some people are eligible to vote in some types of elections but not others:
- Parliamentary register – used for UK Parliamentary elections
- Local government register – used for Scottish Parliamentary, Senedd, Northern Ireland Assembly, local government and Police and Crime Commissioner elections.
We expect to see changes to the size of the registers around elections. There is generally a rise in entries ahead of general elections. Entries will then usually fall in the years in-between.
Number of entries on the electoral registers in Great Britain
Number of entries on the electoral registers in England
Number of entries on the electoral registers in Scotland
Number of entries on the electoral registers in Wales
Attainers
An attainer is someone who reaches voting age within 12 months after the register’s publication each December. Attainers are included on the electoral registers, even though they are not eligible to vote yet.
The number of attainers has fallen significantly since 2013 due to changes in the registration process that required attainers to make their own application to register. It has started to level out in recent years.
Number of attainers on the electoral registers in each nation
The decline is smaller in Scotland and Wales. This is likely due to the extension of the devolved elections’ franchise to 16 and 17 year-olds.
Overseas electors
Registration of overseas electors spikes around general elections, as well as one-off events such as the EU Referendum.
There were 203,000 overseas electors registered in 2025, an increase of 2% from the previous year.
Number of overseas electors on the electoral registers by nation
Anonymous electors
Someone can register to vote anonymously if having their name and address on the register could affect their safety, or the safety of someone in their household. It means they appear on the electoral register without their name and address.
There were 2,500 anonymous electors registered in 2025. This is a decrease of 5% from the previous year.
Number of anonymous electors on the electoral registers by nation
16-17s in Scotland and Wales
In Scotland and Wales, 16 and 17 year-olds can vote in Scottish Parliament, Senedd and local council elections. The Scottish Parliament introduced the change first for the 2014 independence referendum. It was then introduced for all devolved elections in 2015 in Scotland. The Senedd introduced the change in 2020 in Wales.
National electoral events tend to drive registration. The next Scottish Parliament and Senedd elections are in 2026.
Registration rates of young people have declined in both countries over the last four years:
- in Scotland, there were 74,894 16 and 17 year-olds on the register in 2025 – a 4% decrease from the peak after the last Scottish Parliament election in 2021
- in Wales, there were 29,317 16 and 17 year-olds on the register in 2025 – a 19% decrease from the peak in 2022
Number of 16 and 17 year olds on the local government register in Scotland and Wales
To estimate the proportion of young people on local government registers, we compare our data to mid-year population estimates:
- in Wales, an estimated 39% of 16 and 17 year-olds were the register in 2025
- in Scotland, an estimated 61% of 16 and 17 year-olds were on the register in 2025
Scotland has consistently had a higher proportion of 16 and 17 year-olds on the register, with around two in three registered.
Estimated proportion of 16 and 17 year olds that are registered to vote in Scotland
Background
There is no national electoral register for the United Kingdom. Each ERO across Great Britain compiles and maintains separate electoral registers. The Chief Electoral Officer compiles and maintains one register for Northern Ireland.
EROs maintain two electoral registers:
- Parliamentary register – used for UK Parliamentary elections
- Local government register – used for Scottish Parliamentary, Senedd, Northern Ireland Assembly, local government and Police and Crime Commissioner elections
The electoral register is a property-based database, with register entries linked to a property. Ongoing population change affects the quality of its information. EROs need to add and delete records for home-movers, electors who have died, and newly eligible electors.
There are new registers published annually and reviewed most months. In Great Britain, the ERO audits the register annually before publishing a revised version. This is known as the annual canvass. The law requires each ERO to conduct an annual canvass of all properties in their area. This confirms their electoral register entries and identifies electors who have moved or were not previously registered.
The new canvass model began in 2020. It introduced matching data from the electoral registers with a combination of national and local data. This informs the ERO which properties are likely to have no changes to their household. It allows them to target their canvass activity accordingly.
The ERO will then follow one of three routes for each property:
Route 1:
- The ERO places properties in route 1 if the household's entries match with other data, such as DWP data.
- This assumes that the entries for that household remain the same from the last canvass.
- The ERO will contact Route 1 households to invite them to provide information on any changes. Where there are no changes to report, the household is not required to respond.
Route 2:
- The ERO places properties in route 2 if the household's entries do not match with other data, such as DWP data.
- This assumes that the entries for that household have changed since the last canvass.
- Route 2 households must respond to requests for information, even if their information has not changed.
Route 3:
- The ERO places properties in route 3 if they think they can get information on the people living there from a ‘single responsible person’. For example, care homes or student halls. If the ERO can't get the information from the ‘single responsible person’, the property is placed into Route 2
Data
Electoral registration data is submitted to the Electoral Commission by local authorities. The figures are based on the publication of the December revised registers.