By JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 09:39 BST, 26 September 2025 | Updated: 11:41 BST, 26 September 2025
Immigration has pushed the UK population to 69.3million, according to official figures today.Numbers rose by 755,300 between mid-2023 and mid-2024 - the second-biggest annual increase since 1950.That was only behind the eye-watering spike of 890,049 estimated for the previous 12 months. The bump was largest in England at 1.2 per cent, while Scotland saw a 0.7 per cent rise, Wales 0.6 per cent and Northern Ireland 0.4 per cent.
Nigel Henretty of the ONS said: 'The UK population has increased each year since mid-1982. '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.'Net international migration continues to be the main driver of this growth, continuing the long-term trend seen since the turn of the century.'Births were above deaths over the year, making a marginal contribution to the population after being a net negative in the previous 12 months.But at 662,148 births were the lowest for at least 42 years - underlining the trend since the credit crunch.The number of deaths – 645,909 – was the lowest since mid-2019, before the Covid pandemic.Overall 'natural' change added 16,239 to the population.
