UK’s population increases by 1% in a year ‘mainly due to net migration’, ONS says

The UK’s population increased by 1% in a year, mainly due to net international migration, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said.

The total population of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland grew from an estimated 67.6 million in mid-2022 to 68.3 in mid-2023.

The ONS said the extra 662,400 people amounted to an increase of 1%.

The numerical increase is the largest since comparable records began in 1971.

“Net international migration was the main contributor to population increase for all four countries of the UK in the year to mid-2023,” the ONS said.

Net international migration for the period is currently estimated to be 677,300.

However, officials cautioned that all estimates were likely to be revised within the next year as the ONS tries to improve its data.

Officials also said there were 16,300 more deaths than births across the UK during the period.

With the exception of 2020, during the COVID pandemic, the ONS said this was the first time there had been negative “natural change” in the population since 1976, although that year’s data was for the calendar year.

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According to the estimates, published on Tuesday, England’s total population in mid-2023 was 57.7 million.

In Wales, there were 3.2 million people, while Scotland had 5.5 million and Northern Ireland had 1.9 million.

It comes after the ONS projected in January that the UK population would grow to 70 million in two years.

By mid-2036, officials also said it could increase to 73.7 million, including net international migration of 6.1 million.

However, James Robards, from the ONS, said at the time that the projections were uncertain because they were based on assumptions about migration in previous years.