Signal UK population reached 67 million, up 3.7 million in a decade

Summary

The UK government's Chronic Risks Analysis defines demographic change as the effect of births, deaths and migration on the size and structure of the population, and it focuses on the risks that come from ageing. According to the report, the UK population grew steadily to an estimated 67 million or so by mid-2021. That total is 3.7 million higher than a decade earlier in mid-2011, a rise of 5.9%. The report names four drivers of the current shift: longer life expectancy, migration that fuels growth, later life milestones such as marriage and home buying, and falling fertility. Even as the population expands, low fertility and longer lives are making it older, and the report sees possible pressure on welfare and health systems, the economy, infrastructure, housing and public finances.