London (ECN) - The United Kingdom now has 61.4 million residents, according to the latest numbers which were published this week. This is an impressive increase of 408,000, which is the largest documented growth since 1972. However, what is more remarkable about this staggering jump is not just the numbers, but what accounts for the numbers.
Though the UK population has steadily been on the rise, the growth in previous years has been dominated more by immigration than anything else. This year, however, the reports suggest that those immigration numbers have in fact tapered off, falling to the lowest levels since 2004. Therefore, this upswing in population has come from more natural sources: a baby boom. It is also bolstered by an increasingly stable elderly population, with nearly two percent of the overall population now over the age of 85.
The baby boom has likely been fueled by improved fertility rates, which have reached their highest points in three decades. Coupled with advanced fertility treatments, this set the stage nicely for the biggest baby boom in a generation.
While the baby boom is noteworthy, the slipping immigration numbers are a cause for discussion. Recent years have seen a surge in immigration numbers, likely due to the overall growth of the European Union. Yet, despite this initial growth, many of those who came to the UK looking for a better life have had to look elsewhere given the current economic climate.
The most dramatic decrease has been from Eastern European nations, many of which joined the EU in 2004. Overall, immigration from these countries fell by twenty-eight percent to a mere 79,000 last year. In the bigger picture, the net decrease in immigration was at forty-four percent, a number not expected to change until unemployment becomes less of a widespread problem across the country.
