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The population of the UK will rise to nearly 72million within 24 years, government statisticians said today.
The Office for National Statistics forecasts that there will be 10million more people by 2033 with most of the extra residents expected to live in England.
Two thirds of the rise will be the result of migration, through inflows of people and higher birth rates among those already here.
The rest will be caused by longer life expectancy and more births in the rest of the population.
The figures suggest that 425,000 people will be added to the population every year for the next quarter of a century. Ministers pointed out that the rate of annual increase was slightly less than in the previous official projection, but ONS director of population Guy Goodwin said this was insignificant. The population, currently 61million, is now expected to hit 70million by 2029, one year later than previously thought, and 71.6million by 2033.
It took more than twice as long for the population to go from 50 to 60 million, between 1948 and 2005.
Although the forecast for net annual migration has fallen by 10,000 since the ONS's last projections two years ago, an overall gain of 180,000 new arrivals is still anticipated every year.
The number of pensioners is forecast to rise 3.8million by 2033, including a two million increase in over-85s.
Shadow immigration minister Damian Green said: "This shows how irresponsible [Home Secretary] Alan Johnson was when he said in July that he did not lie awake at night worrying about a population of 70million."
Immigration minister Phil Woolas said the slight slowdown in overseas arrivals showed that reforms on migration were starting to work.
Reader views (3)
They can have my passport. This country has abandoned all ideals and seems happy to subjugate it's own culture and people in a headlong decent into socialism. Good luck.
- Mark, London, 21/10/2009 17:12
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"Immigration minister Phil Woolas said the slight slowdown in overseas arrivals showed that reforms on migration were starting to work."
He's working off projections and then passing them off as absolutes! A 10,000 forecast when the end product is in millions comes under the heading of the "plus or minus" percentage accuracy estimate that goes along with any forecast. "...reforms on migration were starting to work". What's he smoking?
- Rogan, Irving, 21/10/2009 15:27
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That's fine, I'll be long gone, once the economy's back on an even keel I'll be abandoning this once great land before it sinks under the weight of its own insidious governance.
- Bob, Cheam, 21/10/2009 14:27
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