England and Wales population surges by 703,000 in a year as migration drives second-biggest rise in 75 years
The number of people living in the two nations hit 61.8 million by June 2024, up from 61.1 million the year before, according to the Office for National Statistics.
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It marks the second-biggest annual increase since records began in 1949, following an even larger jump of 821,000 the previous year.
Officials said births and deaths made up only a small part of the growth.
The bulk of the increase came from net migration, with far more people arriving than leaving.
The ONS's Nigel Henretty said: 'Net international migration continues to be the main driver of this growth, continuing the long-term trend seen since the turn of the century."
The staggering figures pile pressure on Labour as the Tories blast ministers for failing to protect stretched public services.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp fumed: 'These numbers are far too high and must come substantially down.
"The pressure on housing and social cohesion is unacceptable. We also now know that mass low-skill migration is bad for the economy and actually costs more than it contributes.
"The only thing certain to get immigration numbers dramatically down is a hard cap on the number of visas issued, set by Parliament each year.
"We tabled this proposal in Parliament just a few weeks ago, but Labour voted against it.'
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