UK population to grow faster than any major EU country
Britain's population is predicted to increase by 6.8 per cent from 69.6 million to 74.3 million by 2100, according to the United Nations' latest predictions.
Only Luxembourg, with a population of 672,000, is expected to rise more, at 10 per cent.
The UN estimates that cumulative net migration to the UK will total 14.3 million by the end of the century, fuelling a population rise.
This is almost double the 7.8 million for France and just under a quarter more than Germany.
Just three of the 27 current EU member states will see their populations increase between now and 2100, the UN's World Population Prospects 2024 has revealed.
Alongside the 10 per cent projected for Luxembourg, only Sweden (6.7 per cent) and France (2.8 per cent) will see increases.
Immigration is seen as essential by policymakers as it staves off the negative economic consequences of an otherwise dwindling workforce.
Without positive net migration, the UK population would fall by over a quarter to below 50 million by 2100 – roughly what the population was in 1950.
This is because the average number of children per woman is set to plateau well below the 2.1 replacement rate.
The total fertility rate in England and Wales slumped to 1.44 children per woman between 2022 and 2023.
Last year, the UK median age hit 40, which is projected to rise to 47.9 by 2100.
Without migration, where the majority of arrivals tend to be younger, it would reach 50 as early as 2067.
However, immigration places additional strain on an already beleaguered benefits system and public services such as the NHS.
The number of foreign nationals on Universal Credit has surged over the past three years, from 906,018 in June 2022 to 1.26 million last month, according to figures published on Tuesday.
Refugees made up 118,749 of that total, with 54,156 on humanitarian visas. Some 59.1 per cent were found to be unemployed in May.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'These are staggering figures and are clear proof that the Labour Government has lost control of our welfare system.
'We've set out a clear, common-sense position. Universal Credit should be reserved for UK citizens only. This is about fairness, responsibility and protecting support for those who've contributed to this country.'
The combined population of Western Europe is expected to peak this year at just under 200 million.
By the end of the century, the region's population is predicted to decline to 185 million.
In a hypothetical scenario without net migration, this total would plummet to 133 million.
The UN data does not explicitly map where immigrants to a country have come from, but the broad pattern is clear.
The intensifying effects of a warming climate and increasingly erratic weather are harder felt in less developed, agriculturally dependent countries.
Every year from 2041 onwards, net migration out of sub-Saharan Africa is projected to exceed half a million. Cumulatively by 2100, that's almost 50 million leavers.
That number can be doubled from Central and Southern Asia, from where more than 100 million are set to emigrate over the next three-quarters of a century.
The United States is expected to receive around 97 million of these migrants. Behind Russia and Canada, the UK is the fourth-largest recipient.
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