Immigration drives historic population surge in England and Wales
This level of population growth has not been seen since 1948, a time marked by the "Baby Boom" and returning servicemen from World War II.
The population Surge England and Wales has experienced is the largest annual population surge in over 75 years, mainly due to international immigration, as per the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Despite promises from various governments to reduce immigration, the numbers have continued to rise.
From mid-2022 to mid-2023, about 1,084,000 people immigrated to England and Wales from abroad, while around 462,000 people left, resulting in a net migration of 622,000. This level of population growth has not been seen since 1948, a time marked by the “Baby Boom” and returning servicemen from World War II.
Population Surge in England
Neil Park, head of the Population Estimates Unit with the ONS mentioned, “High levels of international migration seen in recent years are the main driver of population growth. But the year to mid-2023 also saw an increased number of deaths, as well as the lowest number of births since 2002.”
The 622,000 increase represents about 1% of the total population, bringing it to 60.9 million by mid-2023. For comparison, Germany saw a net migration of about 300,000 in 2023, though different countries use various methods to collect data.
Impact of International Migration
Population growth in England and Wales has generally been on the rise since the early 1980s, except during the travel restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic. The issue of net migration has become more eminent in U.K. politics, especially since former Prime Minister David Cameron’s 2010 pledge to reduce net migration to “tens of thousands” per year.
The natural population growth, the difference between births and deaths, fell to just 400, the lowest since 1978, while net international migration increased to 622,000 from 548,500 the previous year. Additionally, a net 13,800 people moved from England and Wales to Scotland or Northern Ireland.
The ONS noted that this population increase is the largest since the post-World War II baby boom when there was a 1.5 million rise due to the return of military personnel. The total population of the United Kingdom was 67.6 million in mid-2022, with data for 2023 still awaited.
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