Domesday Live

Why is the UK population growing?

In recent years almost all of the UK's population growth has come from migration, because deaths are close to births. People are living longer and having fewer children, so the population is ageing, and the share of working age is falling.

Why it happens

• Migration adds more than births. The UK population grew by several hundred thousand a year in the early 2020s, mostly because more people moved in than out.
• Fewer births. The average number of children a woman has is about 1.4, a record low and well below the 2.1 needed to keep the population stable without migration.
• People are living longer. Life expectancy rose for most of the last century, so there are more older people, and fewer workers for each pensioner.