The 2016 EU referendum recorded a national turnout of 72.2%, according to the Electoral Commission. The total electorate was 46,500,001. Leave received 17,410,742 votes and Remain received 16,141,241 votes nationally. The regional figures show that participation was not uniform: turnout was highest in the South East and lowest in Northern Ireland among the areas listed here.
Contents
- National Brexit referendum figures
- The highest-turnout regions
- Turnout in the Midlands and eastern regions
- Northern and north-western participation
- London, Scotland and Northern Ireland
- Wales and the western regions
- Valid votes and rejected ballots
National Brexit referendum figures
The Electoral Commission reported a total electorate of 46,500,001 for the EU referendum. National turnout was 72.2%, making participation a central measure of the vote’s scale. The national result included 17,410,742 Leave votes and 16,141,241 Remain votes.
These national totals provide the context for the regional statistics. Turnout describes participation by the electorate, while valid votes describe ballots counted as valid in each area. Rejected ballots are reported separately by the Electoral Commission and should not be treated as votes for either side.
The regional data covers England’s regions, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It shows a clear spread in participation levels rather than a single UK-wide pattern. Several southern English regions were above 76% turnout, while Northern Ireland, Scotland and London were below 70%.
The highest-turnout regions
The South East recorded a turnout of 76.8%, the highest figure among the regions in the supplied Electoral Commission statistics. Its electorate was 6,465,404, and it recorded 4,959,683 valid votes. The region also recorded 3,427 rejected ballots.
The South West had a turnout of 76.7%, almost the same level as the South East. Its electorate was 4,138,134. The Electoral Commission recorded 3,172,730 valid votes and 2,179 rejected ballots in the South West.
The East recorded a turnout of 75.7%. Its electorate was 4,398,796, with 3,328,983 valid votes and 2,329 rejected ballots. These figures place the East among the three highest-turnout regions in the dataset.
The comparison below brings these high-turnout areas together with their reported electorate and valid-vote totals.
| Area | Turnout | Electorate | Valid votes | Rejected ballots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South East | 76.8% | 6,465,404 | 4,959,683 | 3,427 |
| South West | 76.7% | 4,138,134 | 3,172,730 | 2,179 |
| East | 75.7% | 4,398,796 | 3,328,983 | 2,329 |
| East Midlands | 74.2% | 3,384,299 | 2,508,515 | 1,981 |
The East Midlands recorded a turnout of 74.2%, lower than the three regions above but still higher than the national figure of 72.2%. Its electorate was 3,384,299. It had 2,508,515 valid votes and 1,981 rejected ballots.
Turnout in the Midlands and eastern regions
The two Midlands regions had different reported participation levels. The East Midlands turnout was 74.2%, while the West Midlands turnout was 72.0%. The West Midlands electorate was 4,116,572, and the area recorded 2,962,862 valid votes. Its rejected-ballot total was 2,507.
The West Midlands figure of 72.0% was close to the national turnout of 72.2%. The East Midlands figure was higher at 74.2%. These figures describe referendum participation in the named regions; they do not measure support for Leave or Remain by themselves.
Yorkshire and the Humber recorded a turnout of 70.7%. Its electorate was 3,877,780, and the Electoral Commission recorded 2,739,235 valid votes. There were 1,937 rejected ballots in the region.
The East, at 75.7%, had a higher reported turnout than both Midlands regions and Yorkshire and the Humber. The East’s 4,398,796 electors were associated with 3,328,983 valid votes and 2,329 rejected ballots. The figures are presented as reported by the Electoral Commission, without treating them as independently rechecked estimates.
Northern and north-western participation
The North West recorded a turnout of 70.0%. It had the largest electorate among the northern English regions listed here, at 5,241,568. Valid votes numbered 3,665,945, while rejected ballots numbered 2,682.
The North East recorded a turnout of 69.3%. Its electorate was 1,934,341, with 1,340,698 valid votes and 689 rejected ballots. The North East turnout was below the North West figure of 70.0%.
The figures for these two regions show different scales of participation. The North West electorate was 5,241,568, compared with 1,934,341 in the North East. Both figures are electorate counts, not turnout percentages, and should be read alongside the corresponding regional turnout and valid-vote totals.
Yorkshire and the Humber sat between these two areas on the reported turnout measure, at 70.7%. Its electorate of 3,877,780 was smaller than the North West’s 5,241,568 and larger than the North East’s 1,934,341. The Electoral Commission recorded 2,739,235 valid votes and 1,937 rejected ballots there.
London, Scotland and Northern Ireland
London recorded a turnout of 69.7%. The London electorate was 5,424,768, the largest electorate among the individual areas listed in the supplied figures. The Electoral Commission recorded 3,776,751 valid votes and 4,453 rejected ballots in London.
Scotland recorded a turnout of 67.2%. Its electorate was 3,987,112. There were 2,679,513 valid votes and 1,666 rejected ballots. The reported Scottish turnout was below London’s 69.7% and below the national figure of 72.2%.
Northern Ireland recorded the lowest turnout among the areas listed, at 62.7%. Its electorate was 1,260,955. The Electoral Commission reported 790,149 valid votes and 374 rejected ballots.
| Area | Turnout | Electorate | Valid votes | Rejected ballots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 69.7% | 5,424,768 | 3,776,751 | 4,453 |
| Scotland | 67.2% | 3,987,112 | 2,679,513 | 1,666 |
| Northern Ireland | 62.7% | 1,260,955 | 790,149 | 374 |
These figures make geography important when interpreting Brexit turnout statistics. London had a large electorate and 3,776,751 valid votes, while Northern Ireland had a smaller electorate and 790,149 valid votes. The turnout percentages provide the participation comparison; the raw vote totals reflect the different electorate sizes as well.
Wales and the western regions
Wales recorded a turnout of 71.7%. Its electorate was 2,270,272. The Electoral Commission reported 1,626,919 valid votes and 1,135 rejected ballots.
The Welsh turnout was below the national figure of 72.2% by the reported percentage-point comparison, while remaining above the figures reported for Scotland, London, the North East and Northern Ireland. Wales had fewer electors than the West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, and the South West in the supplied regional figures.
The West Midlands recorded 72.0% turnout, with an electorate of 4,116,572, 2,962,862 valid votes and 2,507 rejected ballots. The South West recorded 76.7% turnout, with an electorate of 4,138,134, 3,172,730 valid votes and 2,179 rejected ballots.
Together, the Welsh and western figures show why a single national turnout number can conceal regional variation. Wales was reported at 71.7%, the West Midlands at 72.0%, and the South West at 76.7%. Each percentage belongs to a particular electorate and measurement area.
Valid votes and rejected ballots
The Electoral Commission figures distinguish valid votes from rejected ballots in every listed area. The South East recorded 4,959,683 valid votes and 3,427 rejected ballots. London recorded 3,776,751 valid votes and 4,453 rejected ballots. The East recorded 3,328,983 valid votes and 2,329 rejected ballots.
The North West recorded 3,665,945 valid votes and 2,682 rejected ballots. The West Midlands recorded 2,962,862 valid votes and 2,507 rejected ballots. Scotland recorded 2,679,513 valid votes and 1,666 rejected ballots, while Yorkshire and the Humber recorded 2,739,235 valid votes and 1,937 rejected ballots.
The East Midlands recorded 2,508,515 valid votes and 1,981 rejected ballots. The South West recorded 3,172,730 valid votes and 2,179 rejected ballots. Wales recorded 1,626,919 valid votes and 1,135 rejected ballots. The North East recorded 1,340,698 valid votes and 689 rejected ballots.
At the lower end of the reported valid-vote totals, Northern Ireland recorded 790,149 valid votes. Its rejected-ballot total was 374. These counts should be kept separate from the national Leave and Remain totals: a rejected ballot is not assigned to either referendum outcome.
Across the dataset, the reported turnout range runs from 62.7% in Northern Ireland to 76.8% in the South East. The national figure of 72.2% sits between those regional results. Read together, the electorate, turnout, valid-vote and rejected-ballot figures provide a compact account of how participation varied across the UK in the 2016 EU referendum.