New projections out this morning say that the UK population will rise faster than previously thought in the coming years, exceeding 73m people by 2036 and reaching 70m by Mid 2026
The figures from the Office of National Statistics say that 92% of this increase will be accounted for by net migration as opposed to births in the U.K.
There will be an increasing number of older people and over the next 15 years the size of the UK population aged 85 years and over is projected to increase from 1.6 million (2.5% of the total population) to 2.6 million (3.5%).
The jump, over the 15-year period, reflects a projection for 541,000 more births than deaths and international net international migration of 6.1 million people,
The ONS projections assume a net migration level of 315,000 people annually from the year ending mid-2028 onwards.
The figures also forecast that net migration will stay above half a million for the next two years.
