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The UK’s population will rise by about 5mn to 72.5mn in the decade to 2032, driven by more international migration than previously projected and by lower fertility resulting in the same number of births as deaths, according to official data.
Over the 10 years from mid-2022 to mid-2032, the population is projected to rise by 4.9mn, or 7.3 per cent, from an estimated 67.6mn to 72.5mn, the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday.
Net migration is projected at 4.9mn, with 6.8mn births and the same number of deaths.
The ONS said it now believed long-term international migration would be greater than in previous projections. Its latest forecasts also assume lower fertility and an increase in life expectancy.
James Robards of the ONS said the forecasts were “based on current and past trends, and aren’t forecasts about what may or may not happen in the future”.
He said the latest projections “also highlight an increasingly ageing population, with the number of people aged over 85 projected to nearly double to 3.3mn by 2047. This is in part because of the ageing of the baby boom generation, as well as general increases in life expectancy.”