LONDON, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The population of the United Kingdom (UK) is predicted to reach 70 million by mid-2026, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a report on Tuesday.
The ONS said over the 15 years between mid-2021 and mid-2036, the UK population is projected to grow by 9.9 percent from an estimated 67 million to 73.7 million. This includes 541,000 more births than deaths and net international migration of 6.1 million people.
The agency said the UK population's projected growth is faster than projections it released in January 2023. This new projected increase is mainly resulting from international migration.
The ONS said there will be also an increasing number of older people in the UK. Over the next 15 years the size of the UK population aged 85 years and over is projected to increase from 1.6 million (2.5 percent of the total population) to 2.6 million (3.5 percent). ■