UK population growth slowed to its lowest rate outside the Covid-19 pandemic since 1998, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The UK population was estimated at 69.5 million in mid-2025, an increase of 227,665 over the previous 12 months. The rise of 0.33% was below increases of 1.05% in 2022, 1.34% in 2023 and 0.97% in 2024.
The slowdown was driven mainly by a sharp fall in net international migration. Net migration in the year to mid-2025 was estimated at 222,900, down from 651,700 in the previous 12 months.
Natural change—the difference between births and deaths—added only 4,900 people to the population. There were 652,400 births and 647,500 deaths during the period. The increase was down from 16,200 in the previous year, although it was above the 12 months to mid-2023, when deaths exceeded births by 16,300.
The four UK countries recorded different trends. England’s population grew by an estimated 0.39%, while Scotland and Northern Ireland recorded increases of 0.04% and 0.03% respectively. Wales saw its population fall by 0.09%, the first year-on-year decrease since 2015.
Wales and Scotland both recorded more deaths than births. The ONS said both countries have older populations on average than England and Northern Ireland, while average fertility is also lower in Wales and Scotland.
Net international migration contributed to population growth in all four countries, but in Wales this was more than offset by negative natural change.
The ONS said the recent fall in net migration was likely linked to a decline in arrivals from outside the European Union for work-related reasons, following changes to employment migration rules. There were also fewer arrivals through official humanitarian resettlement schemes and an increase in people leaving the UK.
ONS projections published earlier this year suggested deaths could outnumber births in the UK from 2026 onwards. They also indicated that population growth could continue to slow before stopping, with the population beginning to fall in the mid-2050s. The ONS said these projections are based on current and past trends and are not forecasts or predictions.
Across the UK’s 361 local authority areas, 257 saw population growth between mid-2024 and mid-2025, while 104 recorded a fall. Rugby in Warwickshire had the largest percentage increase, at 2.39%, while the Isles of Scilly recorded the largest decrease, at 3.52%.
