Migration will make UK population grow faster than any other large EU country and could increase by nearly 7% to 74.3million by the 2100, UN figures suggest

Daily Mail​

a day ago

Record-breaking levels of immigration is causing Britain's population to grow faster than any other major EU country, figures have claimed.
According to the United Nations, the UK's population is expected to balloon 6.8 per cent from 69.6million to 74.3million by the end of the century.
Only Luxembourg, with a tiny population of around 672,000, is expected to rise more, at 10 per cent.
It's feared the main driving force behind the surge is the Britain's skyrocketing immigration crisis - which political parties have so far failed to tackle.
The news comes as the number of people living in the UK swelled by 9.2 million in the last 25 years, according to a cross-party Lords report today.
The study, drafted by Conservative peer Robin Hodgson and 'Blue Labour ' grandee Maurice Glasman, raised concerns the UK was well on track to becoming Europe's most crowded country.
They have called for a new independent Office for Demographic Change amid fears the number of people living in Britain could increase to record levels.
In their report, the pair say the current expansion is 'the most rapid increase in our nation's history' - and comes amid the small boats crisis which sees tens of thousands of immigrants sailing into the country illegally on small boats from the EU.
Slamming politicians for 'kicking the can down the road', Lord Hodgson said: 'If we don't start putting plans in place now, the problems we face later will be far harder to solve.'
However, according to the latest UN estimates, cumulative net migration to the UK will total 14.3million by the end of the century, fuelling the skyrocketing population surge.
This figure is almost double the 7.8million predicted for France over the same period and just under a quarter more than Germany's expected growth.
Data from the UN's World Population Prospects 2024 claims just three of the 27 current EU member states will see their populations increase between now and 2100.
As well as Luxembourg's predicted boom, Sweden is also anticipated to grow by 6.7 per cent, while France will see its population swell by 2.8 per cent to just under 68.5million.
The UK's figure is by far the largest, however, in terms of growth of any European country with more than a million residents in.
Without positive net migration, the number of people living in the UK would fall by more than a quarter to below 50million by 2100. This is about what it was in 1950.
This is because the average number of children conceived per woman is set to level off well below the 2.1 replacement rate, meaning the population will ultimately shrink.
Between 2022 and 2023, the total fertility rate in England and Wales stood at just 1.44 children per woman, following a downward trend in recent years.
The UN's summary also found the UK's median age by 2100 will rise from 40 last year to 47.
However, without immigration - where arrivals tend to be younger - this figure will skyrocket to 50 as early as 2067.
But Britain is currently facing an immigration crisis, which has seen tens of thousands of migrants illegally enter the country in recent years.
Since January of this year, a record-breaking number of Channel crossings have been made, with more than 21,000 asylum seekers unlawfully reaching the UK.
The toll of the migrant crisis has already placed a strain on government coffers, with Whitehall splashing out billions to house new arrivals in hotels.
Likewise, the number of foreign nationals claiming Universal Credit has also swelled over three years, from 906,018 in June 2022 to a staggering 1.26million last month, figures published on Tuesday claimed.
Of these, refugees made up 118,749, with 54,156 on humanitarian visas. Some 59.1 per cent were found to be unemployed in May.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'These are staggering figures and are clear proof that the Labour Government has lost control of our welfare system.
'We've set out a clear, common-sense position. Universal Credit should be reserved for UK citizens only. This is about fairness, responsibility and protecting support for those who've contributed to this country.'
According to the separate cross-party report by Lord Hodgson and Lord Glasman, housing and public services now risk being strained due to the growing number of Britons.
Lord Glasman has now called on political parties of all colours to tackle the issue, saying: 'Issues of demography and immigration have disfigured our public debates for too long.
'The general public is clearly looking for ways to address these challenges.'
The Government has repeatedly pushed for French authorities to do more to prevent boats leaving the shore, including changing existing rules to allow police officers to intervene when dinghies are in the water.
The rule is in the process of being scrapped - but some police appear to be acting early, prompting anger from refugee charities.
Last week, Sir Keir Starmer and French leader Emmanuel Macron announced a new migrant return deal to combat the crisis.
However, only a day after unveiling the scheme alongside Mr Macron, the Prime Minister was facing objections from Europe and charities that helped ground the Tories' Rwanda plan.
The new scheme was condemned by campaigners, who said they would support court cases brought by small-boat arrivals chosen to be sent back to France. A border union boss said the legal challenges could take a year.