Overview
- ONS estimates put the UK population at 69,281,400 in mid-2024, up 755,254 (1.1%) on the year, the second-largest annual increase on record.
- Net migration totaled 738,718, with 1,235,254 people arriving and 496,536 leaving, accounting for about 98% of the population rise.
- Natural change added just 16,239 as births fell to 662,148 and deaths reached 645,909, with Scotland and Wales seeing more deaths than births.
- England’s population grew 1.2% versus 0.7% in Scotland, 0.6% in Wales and 0.4% in Northern Ireland, contributing to a two-year UK increase of about 1.6 million.
- Alongside the new estimates, the ONS revised past counts to show a 4.7 million rise since mid-2014, while separate calendar-year data indicate net migration fell to 431,000 last year.