Population and urbanisation, Year 11: the changing UK economy

De-industrialisation

HintA prefix meaning 'undoing' goes in front of the word for the growth of factories.

The whyCheaper production overseas and more machines doing the work meant fewer manufacturing jobs in Britain, while services grew. Jobs in the UK's production industries fell from 8.6 million in 1970 to 3.0 million in 2016. Regions built around one industry were hit hardest.

Goods could be made more cheaply abroad and imported

HintCheck the label inside your shirt.

The whyGlobalisation is the growing connection between countries through trade, investment and communication. Container shipping and freer trade made it cheap to move goods around the world, so firms shifted production to countries with lower wages. UK factories making the same goods could not match the price.

Machines and robots (automation)

HintPicture a modern car assembly line.

The whyMachines can weld, paint and assemble faster and more accurately than people, and they work around the clock. So a factory can raise its output while cutting its workforce. This is one reason manufacturing jobs fell even in industries that survived.

Privatisation

HintThe opposite of nationalising.

The whyThis is an example of government policy changing the economy. In the 1980s the UK government sold many industries it had owned, including telecommunications (1984), gas (1986) and steel (1988). The aim was to make them more efficient and to raise money. Supporters say it improved services and cut costs; critics point to the jobs lost. In the same years loss-making steelworks and state-owned coal mines were closed, which hit the old industrial regions hardest.

coal

HintA black rock dug from deep pits.

The whyThe traditional industrial base was heavy industry powered by this fuel, which was too bulky and costly to move far, so the factories went to the fuel. When those industries declined, the same regions lost a large share of their jobs. That is the root of today's regional differences.

A post-industrial economy

HintThe prefix means 'after'.

The whyThe UK is one. Services made up 56% of the UK's economic output in 1970 and 80% in 2016. The growth has been in information technology, finance, research, retail, health, education and leisure.

To use the university's research and recruit its graduates

HintThink about who works in the laboratories next door.

The whyA science park is a group of firms doing research and high-technology work. Being beside a university lets companies share laboratories and ideas with researchers, turn discoveries into products, and hire skilled staff. The UK Science Park Association's members host more than 6,000 organisations (2026).

business park

HintThe first word is another term for a company.

The whyThese sites are built where land is cheaper than in a town centre, there is room for parking and expansion, and motorways or ring roads are close by. Unlike a science park, the firms need not do research or have any link to a university.

They can work from home, or far from their employer's office

HintNo commute needed.

The whyInformation technology lets people share documents, hold meetings and serve customers from anywhere with a good connection. Firms can sell services worldwide, and workers can live further from cities. It has also created whole industries, such as software and online retail.

Financial services (finance)

HintIt is all about looking after money.

The whyThis is one of the UK's most important industries and a major export: services made up 58.6% of all UK exports in 2025. It is concentrated in London, with other centres in cities such as Edinburgh and Leeds, which adds to regional differences in income.

Restoration (land reclamation)

HintThe site is put back to something like it was before.

The whyExtracting rock or minerals removes soil and vegetation and leaves a large hole or heaps of waste. In the UK, permission to quarry usually comes with a condition that the operator makes the land good afterwards. Many nature reserves and country parks were once pits.

Greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide) emissions

HintIt is the impact linked to climate change.

The whyIndustry uses a great deal of energy. Making some of its own electricity from sunlight or wind means burning less fossil fuel. Other ways to reach the same goal are insulating buildings, recovering waste heat and using more efficient machines.

landfill

HintA hole in the ground where rubbish is buried.

The whyBurying waste uses up land, can leak polluted liquid, and releases methane as material rots. Sustainable firms design products and processes so that scrap metal, plastic, packaging and water are reused. Look for a target like this in your own example of modern industry.

visual

HintIt is about what the eye takes in.

The whyLarge industrial buildings, chimneys, waste heaps and quarry faces can spoil a landscape. Screening with banks and trees, keeping buildings low and choosing colours that blend in all reduce the effect. The same banks also muffle some noise.

Environmental laws, backed by fines

HintRules that a court can enforce.

The whyUK industry is far cleaner than it was a century ago, largely because of regulation. Firms need permits that set limits on what they may release, and regulators such as the Environment Agency in England can inspect and prosecute. Cleaner technology was developed to meet the limits.

Counter-urbanisation

HintThe reverse of the drift into towns.

The whyBetter roads, fast rail links and working from home let people live in the countryside and still hold a city job. Families and retired people also move for more space and a quieter life. It is the main reason some rural areas of the UK are gaining population.

They rise, so local young people cannot afford to stay

HintMore buyers are chasing the same few homes.

The whyNewcomers often have higher incomes than people who work locally. Demand pushes up what homes sell for, and some are bought as second homes or holiday lets. This is a social change as well as an economic one: young families move away, and the community changes.

Young adults

HintThink about who is looking for a first job or a college place.

The whyRemote rural areas have few jobs outside farming and tourism, and little further education. People in their late teens and twenties leave for study and work, and many do not return. Those who remain are older on average, so the birth rate falls and the decline continues.

Too few people use them to cover their costs

HintA shop needs a certain number of customers a week.

The whyEvery service needs a minimum number of users to stay open. As people leave, takings and pupil numbers fall below that level. Each closure makes the area harder to live in, especially for people without a car, so more people leave: a downward spiral.

More need for health and social care

HintThink about what people rely on as they grow old.

The whyRural areas have older populations than towns on average. Older residents need doctors, carers and transport, which are costly to provide where homes are scattered and hospitals are far away. At the same time there are fewer people of working age to do those jobs.