Migration drives 707k population rise in England and Wales - marking the second largest jump since 1945
It is the second largest annual numerical rise in over 75 years - behind only the increase of more than 800,000 people that took place from mid-2022 to mid-2023.
There were an estimated 61.8 million people in England and Wales in mid-2024, up 706,881 from 61.1 million in mid-2023, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Almost all of this increase was due to international migration, with natural change - the difference between births and deaths - accounting for only a small proportion.
Net international migration - the difference between people moving to the country and leaving - accounted for 690,147 of the estimated population increase of 706,881 people, or 98 per cent of the total, the ONS said.
Some 1,142,303 people were estimated to have come to England and Wales as immigrants in the 12 months to June 2024 while 452,156 were likely to have emigrated.
There was a decrease in the number of births and deaths in the year to mid-2024, compared with the previous year, the figures show.
There were slightly more births (596,012) than deaths (566,030) in the year to mid-2024, which added 29,982 to the population.
By contrast, internal migration from England and Wales to elsewhere in the UK was higher (at 56,300) than the number of people moving from the UK into the two nations (42,693), meaning there was a net decrease in internal migration of 13,607.
The highest rates of population growth were City of London (11.1 per cent), Oadby and Wigston (3.1 per cent), and Preston (2.9 per cent).
And the greatest rates of population decrease were Isles of Scilly (-2.8 per cent), Kensington and Chelsea (-1.4 per cent) and Lambeth (-0.6 per cent).
Nigel Henretty of the ONS said: 'The population of England and Wales 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.'
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