Signal Average net migration of 200,000 a year over 2011 to 2021

Summary

The report treats migration as a key driver of UK population growth and counts the increased movement of people among the four components of current demographic change. Migration has grown steadily over recent decades, and net migration averaged about 200,000 a year between 2011 and 2021. Yet the report stresses that this inflow has not stopped the population from ageing, because fertility is low and life expectancy keeps rising. Regionally, working-age people leaving and retirees arriving deepen ageing in rural and coastal areas, and places such as Scotland and Wales could see their populations shrink without future net migration. The report sees the points-based immigration system, which aims to attract and keep skilled workers, as one way to soften the effects of an ageing population.