Post by jonksy on Oct 11, 2024 7:09:46 GMT
The UK population is changing. Last year it grew at its fastest rate since the early 1970s, yet for the first time (outside of the pandemic) in 50 years the number of deaths was higher than births.
Migration has been the principal driving force behind the UK's rapid population expansion, according to a new report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). That has meant a "not negligible" increase of two million in the last five years, said The Times, pushing the total to 68.3 million with a forecast of potentially reaching 70 million within two years.
The statistics do not account for new changes the government made last year to reduce the number of legal migrants, including banning masters students and care workers from bringing family members with them, as well as higher salary thresholds for skilled workers.
The ONS has "yet to measure" what effect these changes might have on arrival numbers.
Will population growth slow down?
The ONS figures will "heap pressure" on Keir Starmer to fulfil his promise to bring down immigration figures, said the Daily Mail.
But the bigger concern will be a declining fertility rate and an increasingly ageing population. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) expects the number of people born in Britain to "start declining steadily from 2035", said The Telegraph, and the country will become "dependent on migration to support the economy".
The ONS has "yet to measure" what effect these changes might have on arrival numbers.
Will population growth slow down?
The ONS figures will "heap pressure" on Keir Starmer to fulfil his promise to bring down immigration figures, said the Daily Mail.
But the bigger concern will be a declining fertility rate and an increasingly ageing population. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) expects the number of people born in Britain to "start declining steadily from 2035", said The Telegraph, and the country will become "dependent on migration to support the economy".
