The UK population has risen by a record 1% in the year leading up to mid-2023, with an increase of 1.2 million people over a two-year period, primarily due to immigration, according to official data released on Tuesday.
As of mid-2023, approximately 68.3 million people were living in the UK, reflecting an annual increase of 662,400 or 1.0 percent. This marks the largest percentage and numerical increase since comparable data collection began in 1971. The surge in population comes amid political pressure on the UK government regarding migration levels and the provision of housing and services.
The new Labour government has faced significant challenges, including the country’s most serious rioting in a decade, linked to anti-immigrant sentiments. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that net international migration was the primary contributor to the population increase across all four countries of the UK for the year ending in mid-2023.
The ONS estimated that 1,185,600 individuals immigrated to the UK from abroad, while 508,300 emigrated, resulting in a net international migration figure of 677,300. Interestingly, there were 16,300 more deaths than births recorded during the same period, marking the first negative natural change in the UK population since 1976, excluding the Covid-impacted year of 2020.
Overall, the population has increased by 1,281,700 in the two years leading up to mid-2023, surpassing the total population of Birmingham, the UK’s second-largest city.