London: Driven by high immigration, the United Kingdom's population grew by 1 percent to reach 68.3 million by mid-2023, according to latest data from Britain's Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Net international migration was the primary factor behind the population increase across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, reports Reuters, citing ONS.
Immigration has surged in the UK over recent years, driven by both economic migrants and those arriving via irregular routes, including small boat crossings. Post-Brexit immigration patterns have shifted, with fewer migrants from the European Union, but an increase in immigration from countries like India, Nigeria, and Pakistan, primarily to address gaps in health and social care roles.
This influx has sparked political debate, especially regarding the strain on public services, which have faced years of underinvestment. In mid-2023, the population of England and Wales experienced a significant increase of 610,000, marking the largest annual growth in 75 years.
England and Wales saw the highest population growth, each recording a 1 percent increase, followed by Scotland at 0.8 percent and Northern Ireland at 0.5 percent.
In contrast, the natural population change, which measures the difference between births and deaths, saw a decline of 16,300. This drop in natural growth occurred earlier than expected, as previous ONS projections anticipated such a trend only by the mid-2030s. Recent immigration-related protests by far-right groups reflect growing political tensions, a challenge for Prime Minister Keir Starmer's newly elected Labour government, the report noted.
Deaths have outnumbered births annually in the UK for the first time in nearly 50 years, excluding the Covid pandemic, new official figures showed. The UK population still increased by the largest amount since the early 1970s, with net migration the main contributor across all four countries. The ONS says the population grew by 662,400 to an estimated 68,265,200 people in the year to mid-2023.
Net international migration, the difference between the number of people arriving in the UK and leaving, is estimated at 677,300 for the year to mid-2023. Figures show that, without that net migration figure, the UK's population would have fallen. All population estimates are likely to be revised within the next year as new data becomes available and improvements to estimates of international migration continue to be made, the ONS added.
