London’s population is set to exceed 10 million for the first time by 2029 with net migration a primary cause, statistics show.
The figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the dramatic findings in which the population of the capital, currently standing at 9.1 million, will rise to over 10 million in 10 years time with the population reaching nearly 11 million by 2041. This would be a population increase in London alone of over three times the total population of Sheffield in just 22 years.
The population rise is, in part, due to high numbers of international migration to the city, with an estimated 172,000 international migrants arriving in the capital each year.
Other cities in England, too, face large population growth due to immigration, with Greater Manchester seeing an average of 22,000 international migrants arriving each year, Birmingham 13,000 and Liverpool 7,000 according to the government figures.
The population is due to rise sharply all across England, from 56.5 million this year to almost 64 million by 2041. This is largely due to an estimated average influx of over 450,000 international migrants every year, roughly the population of Cardiff, with a net annual migration of over 200,000.
Figures released by the ONS in February showed net migration to the UK reached 283,000 in the previous year.
The figures come as new research this week of 10,000 people by centre-right think tank ‘Onward’ showed that people across the board want reductions in immigration, This includes 18-24-year-olds, Asians living in Britain, and people who voted to remain in the European Union.
While Brexit could have been an opportunity to get migration to the United Kingdom — running at historic levels despite three concurrent Conservative general election manifestos promising to reduce the number of arrivals — the Conservative government is preparing to welcome even higher levels of migration after Britain leaves the EU. The Immigration White Paper which revealed these changes has been criticised as “shocking”, and a move that runs “completely against the current of public opinion and which are likely to result in even more massive levels of immigration” by pressure group Migration Watch.