East Midlands

The East Midlands is a central region of England that blends rural landscapes, historic towns, and thriving cities. It is home to the Peak District National Park and the Lincolnshire Wolds, offering hiking, cycling, and scenic views. The region has a rich industrial heritage in manufacturing, textiles, and engineering, alongside strong agricultural traditions. Cultural icons include the Robin Hood legend and medieval architecture in cities such as Nottingham, Leicester, and Derby.

The region features a mix of administrative structures, with major cities like Nottingham and Leicester operating as unitary authorities, while surrounding counties retain two-tier systems. Historic county lines remain influential, but local government reforms have created independent authorities in some urban areas. This structure supports the varied needs of urban centres, commuter towns, and rural communities.

Ceremonial Counties in East Midlands region

The East Midlands consists of six ceremonial counties: Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, and Rutland. Highlights range from industrial hubs and university cities to market towns and rural landscapes. The region’s economy includes manufacturing, logistics, food production, and agriculture.

There are 48 Ceremonial Counties in England. The above lists 6 Ceremonial Counties in East Midlands region.

Districts in East Midlands

The UK is divided into Local Authority Districts (LADs) as the main building blocks of local government and statistical geography. The following lists all the LADs in this region.

Local Authority District (LAD) is a statistical geography used by the ONS to describe areas governed by local authorities. LADs include: Non-metropolitan districts (often called district councils); Metropolitan districts; London boroughs; Unitary authorities; Council areas in Scotland; Local government districts in Northern Ireland. In total, there are around 360+ LADs across the UK.

International Territorial Levels in East Midlands Region

The International Territorial Levels (ITLs) are a hierarchical system of geographic boundaries used for statistical purposes in the UK, specifically for regional data analysis and international comparisons. It has three levels: ITL1, ITL2, and ITL3, with ITL1 being the broadest level and ITL3 the most detailed.

East Midlands Region is one of ITL 1 areas in the UK. It is then divided ino the following ITL 2 areas (names in bold letters) and ITL 3 areas.

  • Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire — Derby ⁞ East Derbyshire ⁞ South and West Derbyshire ⁞ Nottingham ⁞ North Nottinghamshire ⁞ South Nottinghamshire
  • Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire — Leicester ⁞ Leicestershire CC and Rutland ⁞ West Northamptonshire ⁞ North Northamptonshire
  • Lincolnshire — Lincolnshire CC
In the UK in total there are: 12 ITLs 1, 46 ITLs 2, and 182 ITLs 3. Our information about ITLs hierarchy and names is based on this ONS website: International geographies - Office for National Statistics.

Constituencies in East Midlands

The East Midlands contains 46 parliamentary constituencies, covering industrial cities like Nottingham, Derby, and Leicester as well as agricultural areas such as rural Lincolnshire. This political and economic diversity makes the region significant in both national and local elections.

There are 650 constituencies in the United Kingdom. These constituencies are the areas each represented by one Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons.

Population of The East Midlands

The East Midlands is home to just under 4.94 million people (mid-2022, ONS). Spanning 15,623 square kilometres (6,032 square miles), the region has a population density of 316 people per square kilometre.

The East Midlands Population Compared to UK Regions' Figures
The East Midlands Population Compared to other UK Regions

How it compares to the rest of England

  • Population share: The East Midlands accounts for 8.6% of England’s total 57.1 million residents, ranking 8th out of 9 regions by population size.
  • Space to spread out: With 316 people per km², the region is less densely populated than most of England—122 people per km² fewer than the national average of 438. This puts it 7th out of 9 regions for population density.

Region detail pages