UK population to soar by 3m in next decade because of migration and could hit 70m by 2031
A MIGRATION boom is set to send Britain’s population soaring by three million in the next decade.
A staggering 73 per cent of the UK’s population growth will be down to migration – with births and deaths accounting for just 27 per cent.
The number of people living in the country is expected to rise by 3million in the next decade from 66.4million in 2018 to 69.4million in 2028.
The population will then pass 70million by mid-2031, and is expected to hit 72.4million by 2043.
But the pace of growth is expected to slow as women decide to have fewer kids.
An ONS spokesman said: “The UK population is projected to grow by three million people by 2028.
“This assumes migration will have a greater impact on the size of the population than the combination of births and deaths.
UK population trends in next 10 years
- 7.2 million people will be born
- 6.4 million people will die
- 5.4 million people will immigrate long-term to the UK
- 3.3 million people will emigrate long-term from the UK
UK nations estimated growth 2018-2028
- England – UP 5%
- Northern Ireland – UP 3.7%
- Scotland – UP 1.8%
- Wales – UP 0.6%
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“Although migration declines at first and the number of births is stable, the number of deaths is projected to grow as those born in the baby boom after World War Two reach older ages.
“The population is increasingly ageing and this trend will continue.
“However, because of the expected rise in the state pension age to 67 years, it is projected that slightly fewer than one in five people will be of pensionable age in 2028, a similar proportion to today.”