Hogwarts population + JKR in Bazaar

[milz]

No: HPFGUIDX 9720

Jim Ferer wrote:
My two daughters live in a town with 55,000 people in it. Their 
elementary school has 366 students in six years, and there are at 
least eight other elementary schools in town.  And Hogwarts has 300 
students for the entire magical population of the UK? I can't make 
it  work in my head.

Exactly. We really don't know the population of the wizarding 
community in the UK. In SS/PS ch 1, Vernon Dudley saw quite a number 
of people dressed in wizarding attire that day. So, many that he 
thought there was some sort of convention. Only Dumbledore and 
McGonagall knew Harry was to live with the Dursleys so it's unlikely 
that those wizards converged in Little Whinging to welcome Harry home, 
so to speak. So let's say that the entire wizarding population of 
Little Whinging dressed in their wizard attire that day. Based upon 
Vernon's observation, there's a good number of wizards and witches in 
Little Whinging! Ans we can assume that there's a good number of 
magical children there too...unless Little Whinging is a wizarding 
retirement community.

:-)Milz