UK records its slowest population growth since 1998 as migration falls
The United Kingdom's population rose by just 0.33% in the year to mid-2025, the lowest annual increase since 1998, largely because net migration dropped sharply.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the United Kingdom's population reached an estimated 69.5 million in mid-2025, increasing by 227,665 people or 0.33% over the prior year - the slowest rise since 1998 when the pandemic year is excluded. This deceleration is driven mainly by a sharp reduction in net migration, which fell to about 222,900 after a record 651,700 the year before. Births in the period numbered roughly 652,400, the lowest level in more than forty years, while deaths were about 647,500, resulting in a natural increase of only 4,900 individuals.
England still posted a modest 0.39% growth, but Wales saw a 0.09% decline, its first yearly drop since 2015, and Scotland and Northern Ireland each recorded near-zero growth at 0.04% and 0.03% respectively. The ONS projects that deaths may outpace births from 2026 onward and that overall population growth could halt by the mid-2050s if current trends continue.
Why it matters
Slowing growth signals demographic challenges that could affect the UK’s economy, public services and long-term planning.
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