The UK population now stands at more than 66 million but Brexit has been blamed for the lowest growth rate in a decade.

The decision to pull out of the EU has seen fewer Europeans come over within the last year, according to official statistics.

Demographers’ latest calculations show there were an estimated 66,040,229 million people living in the country at the end of June last year.

Over the 12 months to the middle of 2017, the number of inhabitants increased by 392,000 people – or 0.6%, the lowest growth rate since mid-2004.


The population is still rising. (Picture: Getty)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the EU referendum is likely to be one of the key drivers of the changes.



The Migration Statistics Quarterly Bulletin for the period noted that: ‘The number of people immigrating for a definite job has remained stable but there has been a 43% decrease in the number of people immigrating to look for work over the last year, especially for EU citizens.

‘These changes suggest that Brexit is likely to be a factor in people’s decision to move to or from the UK – but decisions to migrate are complex and other factors are also going to be influencing the figures.’

Population by country England: 55,619,430

Scotland: 5,424,800

Wales: 3,125,165

Northern Ireland: 1,870,834

The ONS figures are in sharp contrast to last year’s, when the UK saw its sharpest annual population increase since 1948 with a rise of 538,000.

While the rate of population growth in the year to mid-2017 was slower than in recent years, it remains above that seen in the period before 2004.

It was during this year that the EU underwent a significant enlargement, allowing people from central and eastern Europe to come and work in the UK.

There are now 66 million of us in the UK. (Picture: Getty)

ONS figures from earlier this year showed net migration to the UK from the EU in the year to September 2017 fell below 100,000 for the first time in more than four years (90,000) – down from an estimated 165,000 in the previous year, and a fall of 45%.

Speaking of today’s figures, Neil Park, ONS head of population estimates unit, said: ‘This is the lowest annual population growth since 2004 due to a fall in net migration, fewer births and more deaths than previously seen.

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‘The effect is most pronounced in London and other areas that have seen high levels of immigration in recent years.

‘Nevertheless, the population is still growing faster than at any time since the post-war ‘baby boom’ and the expansion of the EU in 2004.’

The proportion of people aged 65 and over reached 18.2% – or just over 12 million people.

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