UK population growth in 2024 hits second-largest rise in 75 years, driven by migration
Net international migration fuels almost all of the year-to-year increase as births stay low and deaths hit a recent low
The United Kingdom posted its second-largest annual population increase in 75 years in the year to June 2024, with net international migration the dominant driver of growth. The mid-2024 population was estimated at 69.3 million, up from 68.5 million a year earlier, the Office for National Statistics said.
According to ONS, 1,235,254 people immigrated to the UK in the year to June 2024, while 496,536 emigrated, yielding a net migration of 738,718. Net migration accounted for about 98 percent of the overall population growth. Births and deaths also contributed, but to a smaller degree: there were 662,148 births and 645,909 deaths, adding 16,239 to the total increase. The combination of net migration and natural change produced the almost three-quarters-of-a-million rise.
England posted the fastest growth among the four nations, with a 1.2 percent increase in the year to June 2024, compared with Scotland at 0.7 percent, Wales at 0.6 percent and Northern Ireland at 0.4 percent. Scotland and Wales both recorded more deaths than births in this period. The population profile varies across the UK, with Wales and Scotland older on average, a factor that helps explain higher death rates and lower birth rates in those nations.
Nigel Henretty, a statistician at the ONS, said, "The UK population has increased each year since mid-1982. Net international migration continues to be the main driver of this growth, continuing the long-term trend seen since the turn of the century. The rate of population increase has been higher in recent years, and the rise seen in the year to mid-2024 represents the second largest annual increase in numerical terms in over 75 years."
The release highlights the ongoing influence of migration on the UK’s demographics. The births figure marks the lowest annual total in at least 42 years, while deaths reached their lowest level since before the Covid-19 pandemic in mid-2019. The differing demographic patterns among England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland underscore the UK's diverse population dynamics and the long-running impact of migration on population size.