Soaring UK population fuelled by one key factor ‘will have alarming consequences'

Rishi Sunak

“Unchecked” immigration is fuelling a dramatic rise in the UK’s population, including a 7.5 percent spike in England in just 13 years, a campaigner has warned.

And Alp Mehmet has urged the Government to put the “well-being” of its own citizens first with “tough and targeted” measures to reduce the number of people moving to Britain.

Mr Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, was commenting on figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) at the end of March indicating the UK population hit an estimated 67.6 million in mid-2022, up by 4.3 million since mid-2011.

England saw the biggest percentage increase across the period, with its population jumping by 7.5 percent – the equivalent of four million.

Northern Ireland saw the next highest increase at 5.3 percent, or an additional 96,225 people, followed by Scotland (2.8 percent or 147,800 people) and Wales (2.2 percent or 67,882 people).

Surgery operation. Group of surgeons in operating room with surgery equipment. Medical background, selective focus. Surgeon team working together whil

The figures for England and Wales were first published in November 2023 and showed the combined population of the two nations grew by an estimated one percent in the 12 months to June 2022, the fastest rate for 60 years.

The increase was driven mostly by international migration, rather than natural change – unlike the post-World War 2 baby boom which prompted growth in the early 1960s.

Mr Mehmet, whose organisation argues that current levels of immigration are unsustainable, told Express.co.uk: “These figures yet again point to the alarming consequences of mass and unchecked immigration.

“They reinforce what the ONS said last month, that our population will grow by 6.6 million by 2036, of which 6.1 million (92 percent) will be due to immigration.”

Refugee

The increase comes on top of an eight million rise in the first 20 years of the century, seven million of which consisted of “migrants and their children”, Mr Mehmet pointed out.

He added: “Not only does such huge population growth mean more pressure on housing, schools and services but it makes integrating new arrivals nigh on impossible, with resulting tensions playing out on our streets and schools.

“It’s time to put the well-being of our citizens first by controlling and reducing immigration with tough and targeted measures.”

The figures were the first UK-wide estimates for mid-2022, making them the most up-to-date snapshot of the country’s population.

The median average age of people in the UK in the year to June 2022 was 40.7 years, up from 39.6 years in the year to June 2011.

All four nations now have a median age in the 40s, with Scotland recording the oldest, at 43.0 years, followed by Wales (42.9), England (40.5) and Northern Ireland (40.0).

Population estimates for Scotland for the years before 2022 have yet to be revised to account for the latest Census, which took place in March 2022, a year after the other home nations

There are currently no comparable UK-wide estimates for the period 2012 to 2021.

For this reason, the new figures are compared with 2011, when the Census took place in all four nations on the same day.

A full set of updated population estimates for the UK will be published after Scotland revises its data for 2012-21, the ONS said.

In total, 29,437 people crossed the English Channel in small boats in 2023, a drop on the previous year’s record total of 45,774.

So far this year more than 5,000 people have attempted the hazardous journey.