The population of England and Wales has risen to a record 62 million, driven by immigration, even as more than 600,000 people emigrated abroad and the number of births fell to its lowest level since 1978. The figures highlight how continued net migration is offsetting weak domestic birth rates, a trend with significant implications for public services, housing demand and the long-term shape of the workforce.

Official data show that despite the substantial outflow of emigrants, overall population growth remained strong thanks to arrivals from abroad outnumbering departures by a wide margin. At the same time, the falling birth rate underscores a longer-term demographic shift towards an ageing population, with fewer children being born relative to the size of the wider population than at any point in nearly five decades.