The UK population has recorded its second-largest annual increase in more than 75 years, driven almost entirely by international migration, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Official estimates show that the number of people living in the UK rose by over three-quarters of a million in the year to June 2024, reaching a record 69.3 million. This marks an increase of 755,254 people, or 1.1 per cent, compared with 68.5 million in mid-2023.
The rise is second only to the jump of 890,049 recorded between mid-2022 and mid-2023, making it one of the largest population surges since comparable records began in 1949.
The ONS confirmed that international migration was the primary factor, accounting for 98 per cent of the total increase, while births and deaths played only a minimal role. In the 12 months to June 2024, 1,235,254 people immigrated to the UK, while 496,536 left, leaving net migration at 738,718.
Nigel Henretty of the ONS said: “The UK population has increased each year since mid-1982. The rate of population increase has been higher in recent years, and the rise seen in the year to mid-2024 represents the second-largest annual increase in numerical terms in over 75 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.”
Despite the sharp rise, net migration is now beginning to fall. Data published in May shows the difference between arrivals and departures stood at 431,000 in the year to December 2024 – the lowest since June 2021.
Population growth was fastest in England, up 1.2 per cent, followed by Scotland (0.7 per cent), Wales (0.6 per cent) and Northern Ireland (0.4 per cent). However, Wales and Scotland both recorded more deaths than births during the same period.
The number of births across the UK in the year to mid-2024 was the lowest for at least 42 years, further highlighting migration as the central driver of population growth.
The figures come as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer unveiled new digital ID plans aimed at tackling illegal working. The system, announced on Friday, will become mandatory by the end of this parliament and will be available to both UK citizens and legal residents.
Sir Keir described digital ID as an “enormous opportunity” that will not only strengthen border control but also simplify access to services. He said IDs would help citizens “prove your identity to access key services swiftly – rather than hunting around for an old utility bill”.
Currently, employers are already required to verify right-to-work status through digital visas, which were fully rolled out to foreign nationals at the start of this year.
Migrant support groups have raised concerns about the policy. Josephine Whitaker-Yilmaz, head of advocacy at Praxis, warned that digital IDs would “entrench discrimination, supercharge the hostile environment and create a surveillance state nobody asked for”.
She added: “Migrants already have to prove their rights to work and rent with a digital visa. It’s hard to see what difference a digital ID will make, other than requiring all of us to sacrifice our civil liberties.”
