Net migration made up almost 97 per cent of Britain’s population growth in the year to mid-2025 – as it slumped at its slowest pace in nearly three decades.
According to fresh data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Britain’s total known population reached an estimated 69.5 million, having grown by 227,665 over the 12 months prior.
That represents a mere 0.33 per cent increase – the weakest annual growth recorded since 1998, setting aside the pandemic year of 2020.
Net migration was overwhelmingly responsible for the modest rise, accounting for 96.7 per cent of all population growth.
The number of people arriving in the country minus those departing fell sharply to 222,900 in the year to mid-2025.
That’s roughly a third of the 651,700 net migration the year before.
Net migration had peaked at 944,000 in the year ending March 2023 in the throes of the “Boriswave”, which saw a flood of migrants pour into Britain.
Population growth had been much stronger in the years before, rising by 1.05 per cent in 2022, 1.34 per cent in 2023, and 0.97 per cent in 2024.
Britain’s total known population reached an estimated 69.5 million
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Alongside falling migration, the birth rate has dropped to levels not seen in over 40 years.
Just 652,400 babies were born in the year to mid-2025, the ONS confirmed.
Deaths during the same period totalled 647,500, leaving a natural population increase of a negligible 4,900.
The four home nations are experiencing very different demographic trajectories.
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Alongside falling migration, the birth rate has dropped to levels not seen in over 40 years
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GETTYWales recorded its first population decline in a decade, whilst Scotland and Northern Ireland saw virtually no growth at all.
England was the sole nation to muster up even a small uptick – thanks to migration.
The figures also revealed that London’s population has contracted for the first time since 1987.
The city’s net international migration plummeted to just 51,839 – roughly one third of the previous year’s figure of 156,048.
The figures also revealed that London’s population has contracted for the first time since 1987
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PAThe capital is particularly dependent on overseas arrivals because large numbers of Londoners relocate to other parts of the country each year.
Looking ahead, ONS projections released earlier this year indicated that deaths could exceed births every year from 2026 onwards.
The statistical body’s modelling also suggested population growth would go on to slow to a halt, with Britain’s population beginning to shrink around the mid-2050s.
Separate ONS estimates published in April forecast that migration would drive the population to 71 million by 2034, reaching a peak of 72.6 million in 2055 before entering decline.
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