The population of England and Wales has grown by the second largest annual increase in more than 75 years, largely due to international migration.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the population grew by 700,000 in the year to June 2024, the second largest numerical jump since at least 1949, when comparable data began.
The size of the increase is second only to the rise of 821,210 in the preceding 12 months from mid-2022 to mid-2023.
The ONS found net international migration – the difference between people moving to the country and leaving – accounted for 690,147 of the estimated population increase of 706,881 people, or 98% of the total.
It is estimated 1,142,303 people immigrated to England and Wales in the 12 months to June 2024, while 452,156 were likely to have emigrated.
Meanwhile, natural population change, which is the difference between births and deaths, accounted for only a small proportion of the increase.
There were slightly more births (596,012) than deaths (566,030) in the year to mid-2024, which added 29,982 to the population.
In total, there were an estimated 61.8 million people in England and Wales in mid-2024, up 1.2% from 61.1 million in mid-2023.
Internal migration to England and Wales from other parts of the UK was lower (42,693) than people moving from the two nations to elsewhere in the UK (56,300).
Nigel Henretty, from the ONS, said the population of England and Wales had increased each year since mid-1982, but the rate of population increase had been higher in recent years.
“Net international migration continues to be the main driver of this growth, continuing the long-term trend seen since the turn of the century,” he said.
Earlier this year, the UK population exceeded that of France for the first time on record after it rose to 68.3 million in mid-2023 – the population of France stood at 68.2 million.
The ONS has predicted the UK population will grow to 73.7 million by mid-2036, hitting the 70 million mark a decade earlier than previously thought.
Those projections assumed net migration would fall over the next few years from a peak of about 670,000 in the 12 months to June 2023, before settling at 315,000 from 2028 onwards.
In May, the government unveiled its plans to cut immigration, which included cuts to legal migration routes, stricter English requirements and tightening the rules for some work visas.
Keir Starmer faced heavy criticism for saying the UK risked becoming an “island of strangers” as he announced the plans, later saying he “deeply regretted” using the language.
The government has also expressed concern at the UK’s falling birthrate, which is at 1.44 children per woman, the lowest since records began in 1938 and below the figure of about 2.1 needed to maintain a population.
The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said she wanted “more young people to have children, if they choose”, saying the cost of living and housing was putting people off starting a family.
