The population of England and Wales has experienced its highest annual growth rate in 75 years, with the arrival of over one million people from overseas within
12 months, according to official figures released today.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that an additional 610,000 people were added to the population of England and Wales by mid-2023, bringing the total population to 60.9 million.
The main driver of this population increase was migration, with 1.084 million arrivals from abroad and only 462,000 people departing, resulting in a net inflow of 622,000.
In contrast, the natural change (births minus deaths) was minimal, with just 400 more births than deaths during the year.
Movement of people to Scotland or Northern Ireland caused a slight decrease of 13,000 in the overall population of England and Wales.
Despite this, the statisticians noted that the population growth rate was the highest since 1948. At that time, the return of soldiers from overseas and a post-World War II baby boom added 1.5 million people to the population.
The ONS also highlighted that the population of England increased by seven percent between 2013 and 2023, adding an extra 3,772,000 people.
London’s population grew by 76,266 people last year, bringing the capital's total to 8.95 million. The capital saw higher levels of inward migration compared to other regions and also had more births than deaths. However, a significant number of residents moved from London to other parts of England and Wales, resulting in a modest population growth rate of 0.9 percent, one of the slowest in the country.
Commenting on the figures, the ONS stated: “The record levels of international migration in recent years have been the main driver of population growth. However, the year to mid-2023 also saw an increased number of deaths, which is expected in an ageing and growing population, as well as the lowest number of births since 2002.”
The impact of the recent high levels of migration, especially on housing demand, will be the primary focus of debate following these figures.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper have both committed to reducing the net inflow of migrants, although reforms by the previous Conservative government were only expected to cut the total by about half its recent peak.
Other details from the ONS report reveal that there were 31,019,000 females and 29,836,000 males in England and Wales by mid-2023. International migration brought in more men than women, and there were more male births than female births, with 307,000 boys born compared to 291,000 girls. Photo by Jim Goldsmith, Wikimedia commons.