UK Population Soars Amid Record Immigration Surge in 2023

In mid-2023, England and Wales experienced a population increase of 610,000 to 60.9 million, the largest annual rise in 75 years. Natural population growth fell to 400, while net international migration rose to 622,000. The UK's population was 67.6 million in mid-2022. Economic output failed to match the population growth.

England and Wales witnessed a population surge of 610,000, pushing the total to 60.9 million in mid-2023 — the largest annual increase in 75 years, according to official data released on Monday.

Natural population growth, the difference between births and deaths, plummeted to just 400, the lowest since 1978, while net international migration climbed to 622,000, an increase from 548,500 in the previous year. Additionally, a net 13,800 people relocated from England and Wales to Scotland or Northern Ireland.

The Office for National Statistics noted that the population increase in England and Wales was the largest since 1948, primarily driven by a post-World War Two baby boom and the return of British military personnel. The UK's population stood at 67.6 million in mid-2022, with data for 2023 yet to be finalized.

Despite the population growth, economic output lagged. Preliminary figures indicated that GDP per head in 2023 was 0.7% lower than the previous year. Net migration to the UK hit a peak of 764,000 in 2022, decreasing by 10% to 685,000 in 2023, yet remaining more than double the 2015 level prior to the Brexit vote.

Reducing immigration was a core objective for many who supported Brexit. The previous Conservative government and Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party have both committed to curbing net immigration by reducing economic dependence on foreign workers.

Post-Brexit visa reforms significantly cut the number of EU migrants to the UK. However, new work visa regulations triggered a spike in immigration from India, Nigeria, and Pakistan, notably to fill vacancies in the health and social care sectors. By the end of last year, the government implemented tighter restrictions to prevent low-paid social care workers from bringing dependents.

(With inputs from agencies.)