LONDON – Record immigration has driven the population of England and Wales to increase by 610,000, reaching 60.9 million in mid-2023. This marks the largest annual growth in 75 years, according to official data released on Monday.
Natural population growth – the difference between births and deaths – fell to just 400, the lowest since 1978. In contrast, net international migration surged to 622,000, up from 548,500 in the previous 12 months. Additionally, a net 13,800 people moved from England and Wales to Scotland or Northern Ireland.
The Office for National Statistics noted that this population increase is the largest since 1948, a period marked by a post-World War Two baby boom and the return of British military personnel from overseas, which saw a rise of 1.5 million.
The overall population of the United Kingdom was 67.6 million in mid-2022, with data for 2023 yet to be released. Despite the population growth, economic output has not kept pace. Preliminary figures indicate that gross domestic product per head in 2023 was 0.7% lower than the previous year.
Net migration to the United Kingdom hit a record 764,000 in 2022, before falling 10% to 685,000 in 2023. However, this figure remains more than double the level in 2015, just before the Brexit referendum. Reducing immigration was a significant goal for many Britons who voted to leave the European Union.
Britain’s previous Conservative government aimed to reduce net immigration, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party has pledged to do the same by making the economy less reliant on foreign workers.
Post-Brexit visa changes have sharply reduced the number of EU migrants to Britain. However, new work visa rules have led to a surge in immigration from countries like India, Nigeria, and Pakistan, often to fill health and social care vacancies. At the end of last year, the government tightened rules to prevent low-paid social care workers from bringing dependents.