The population of the UK is projected to increase by 4.9 million (7.3%) over the first 10 years of the latest population projections from the Office of National Statistics
The figures released this morning say that the population will grow from an estimated 67.6 million in mid-2022 to an estimated 72.5 million in mid-2032
The figures are based on an assumption of long-term net international migration of 340,000 per year from year ending mid-2028 onwards and the fact that it is projected that there will be a similar number of deaths and births in the UK
Although births are projected to increase slightly, deaths are projected to rise because of the relatively large number of people born in the post-World War 2 period reaching older ages.
The number of people at state pension age is projected to increase by 1.7 million from an estimated 12.0 million to 13.7 million people while the number of people aged over 85 projected to nearly double to 3.3m by 2047.
England’s population is projected to grow more quickly than other UK nations between mid-2022 and mid-2032: by 7.8%, compared with 5.9% for Wales, 4.4% for Scotland and 2.1% for Northern Ireland.
James Robards, ONS head of population and household projections, said: “The UK population is projected to grow by almost five million over the next decade. The driver of this growth is migration.”
The figures also show the UK is an ageing population with the number of people aged over 85 projected to nearly double to 3.3 million by 2047. “This is in part because of the ageing of the baby boom generation, as well as general increases in life expectancy,”
