UK Population Reaches 69.5 Million Amid Slowest Growth Rate Since 1998

The United Kingdom's population has reached an estimated 69.5 million people, marking a record high. However, the rate of population growth has slowed to its lowest point since 1998, excluding the pandemic year of 2020. This deceleration is primarily attributed to a substantial decrease in net migration and a decline in the number of births.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 71 percent of the UK's 361 local authorities experienced a population increase between mid-2024 and mid-2025. Rugby in Warwickshire recorded the largest percentage rise at 2.39 percent, followed by Mid Suffolk (2.05 percent) and Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire (2.01 percent). Other areas with significant growth include South Derbyshire, Uttlesford in Essex, and Harborough in Leicestershire.

Conversely, 29 percent of local authorities saw their populations fall. The Isles of Scilly experienced the most significant decline at 3.52 percent, with London boroughs Camden and Westminster also showing notable decreases.

On a national level, the total population grew by 227,665 in the year to mid-2025, a rise of 0.33 percent. This figure is considerably lower than the population increases recorded in previous years, such as 1.05 percent in 2022 and 1.34 percent in 2023. These larger jumps were driven by a spike in net international migration.

Net migration for the year to mid-2025 is estimated at 222,900, a steep drop from 651,700 in the preceding 12 months. This decline is partly due to policy changes that have tightened rules for work-related immigration from outside the European Union, as well as fewer arrivals through humanitarian resettlement schemes and an increase in emigration.

Birth rates have also contributed to the slower growth. There were 652,400 births in the year to mid-2025, the lowest figure in over four decades. Deaths numbered 647,500, resulting in a natural population increase (births minus deaths) of only 4,900. This contrasts with a natural increase of 16,200 the previous year and a deficit of 16,300 in the year to mid-2023, when deaths outnumbered births.

ONS projections suggest that deaths could consistently exceed births annually from 2026 onwards, leading to a halt in population growth and a potential decline in the mid-2050s. These projections are based on current trends in migration and fertility rates and do not account for future unforeseen events.

Regional trends within the UK show disparities. England's population grew by an estimated 0.39 percent. Scotland and Northern Ireland experienced minimal growth, at 0.04 percent and 0.03 percent respectively. Wales, however, saw its population decline by 0.09 percent, the first such drop in a decade. Both Wales and Scotland registered more deaths than births, partly due to older average populations and lower average birth rates compared to England and Northern Ireland. While net migration contributed positively to all four countries, it was insufficient to offset the negative natural change in Wales.