UK population records second largest annual increase in 75 years

The UK is estimated to have recorded a population growth of more than three-quarters of a million in the year to June 2024.

This is the second largest annual increase since the late 1940s, and England saw a faster increase rate than the rest of the UK.

Net international migration, which is the difference between people moving into the country and leaving, accounted for 98% of the UK’s overall population growth, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

In mid-2024, 69.3 million people were estimated to be in the UK, up from 68.5 million in mid-2023.

Nigel Henretty, from the ONS, said: “The UK population has increased each year since mid-1982.

“Net international migration continues to be the main driver of this growth, continuing the long-term trend seen since the turn of the century.

“The rate of population increase has been higher in recent years, and the rise seen in the year to mid-2024 represents the second largest annual increase in numerical terms in over 75 years.”

In the year to June 2024, 1,235,254 people were estimated to have immigrated to the UK while 496,536 were likely to have emigrated.

Net migration stood at 738,718, and was the largest contributing factor to the overall population growth.

Another factor, albeit a fraction of the overall increase, was that there were slightly more births than deaths in the year to mid-2024.

The number of births in the UK stood at 662,148 compared to 645,909 deaths, which added 16,239 to the almost three-quarters of a million total.

The total number of births in the UK was the lowest for at least 42 years while the number of deaths was the lowest since before the Covid-19 pandemic in mid-2019.

Across the UK, the rate of growth has not been consistent.

England saw a faster rate of growth in the year to June 2024 (1.2%) when compared to growth rates in Scotland (0.7%), Wales (0.6%) or Northern Ireland (0.4%).

Scotland and Wales both saw more deaths than births in this timeframe.

ONS said: “The population of Wales and Scotland is older on average than the population of England or Northern Ireland, leading to a slightly higher rate of deaths and lower rate of births.

“The average number of children that are born to women in Wales and Scotland is also lower than the rest of the UK, which contributes to fewer births.”