UK population will soar by 3million over next decade from 66.4million to 69.4million, new figures show
- The population is set to pass 70 million by the middle of 2031, the ONS said
- But the report says that its projections are slower than predictions made in 2016
- Proportion of people aged 85 and over set to almost double over next 25 years
The UK population is projected to increase by three million over the next decade, from an estimated 66.4 million in mid-2018 to 69.4 million in mid-2028, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The number of people living in the country will rise by 4.5% over the next 10 years, the projections – which are published every two years – said.
This means the population is projected to pass 70 million by mid-2031, reaching 72.4 million by mid-2043.
The UK population will top 70million by 2031, new figures state. Pictured: Oxford Street
But the ONS said the UK population growth rate is slower than in the projections made in 2016 with the expected population anticipated to be 0.4 million less in mid-2028 and 0.9 million less in mid-2043.
There is expected to be a growing number of older people with the proportion aged 85 years and over projected to almost double over the next 25 years.
England will experience greater population growth than Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
It’s population is set to grow five per cent between mid 2018 and mid 2028, compared with 3.7 per cent in Northern Ireland, 1.8 per cent in Scotland and 0.6 per cent in Wales.
Migration will cause the majority of the growth from this year until 2043 as births and deaths reach similar levels.
Pictured: The statistics reveal the England will experience the greatest growth in population according to figures from the ONS
Pictured: This graph shows how the levelling out of births with deaths mean that migration will be the biggest cause of population growth
This graph shows how the UK population is projected to hit 69.4million by 2043. England will experience the most growth in the UK
A spokesman for the ONS said: ‘The UK population is projected to grow by three million people by 2028.
‘This assumes migration will have a greater impact on the size of the population than the combination of births and deaths.
‘Although migration declines at first and the number of births is stable, the number of deaths is projected to grow as those born in the baby boom after World War Two reach older ages.
‘The population is increasingly ageing and this trend will continue. However, because of the expected rise in the state pension age to 67 years, it is projected that slightly fewer than one in five people will be of pensionable age in 2028, a similar proportion to today.’