UK population to grow by almost 10 million in 25 years, estimates show

Updated

The population of the U.K. will jump by almost 10 million over the next 25 years, according to official estimates.

More than two thirds of the projected rise from 64.6 million in mid-2014 to 74.3 million in 2039 is due to assumed net migration and the indirect impact of people arriving on the birth rate, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

It means that over the next quarter of a century the number of people in the country is set to increase by the approximate equivalent of the current population of Sweden.

The ONS also said the population is projected to reach 70 million by mid 2027, while it will rise by 4.4 million over the next decade.

Statisticians also projected that Britain's society will continue ageing, with more than one in 12 people aged 80 or over by 2039.

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