The UK population grew by 400,000 between mid-2012 and mid-2013, just under half of which is the direct result of net migration. Just over half of the increase was the result of more births than deaths however other statistics show that over a quarter of births in England and Wales were to mothers born overseas. This means that the main driver of population growth in the UK is immigration, either directly or indirectly.
Growth of 400,000 in one year is the equivalent of adding two cities the size of Portsmouth to our population. If immigration is allowed to continue at current levels it will add four million to our population in just one decade, or the equivalent of adding four more Birminghams, Britain’s second biggest city.
The UK’s population increase during this period was the largest in in the European Union and the UK’s rate of growth was second only to Sweden.
Commenting, Mr Alp Mehmet, Vice Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said:
“Population growth on this scale is clearly unsustainable and raises serious questions about the ability of public services and infrastructure to cope with such a rapidly growing population. The government will have to build schools, GP surgeries, hospitals and homes as well as expand an already creaking infrastructure in order to cope with this demand at a time when there is very little money to spare.”