A record increase in the UK population has been driven by immigration, new figures suggest.
The number of people resident in the country is estimated to have increased by 1.0 per cent in the year to June 2023 - the largest annual percentage since comparable data began in 1971.
Data, released on Tuesday, suggests it comes despite the number of deaths in Britain outnumbering the number of births.
Some 68,265,200 people were likely to have been resident in the UK in the middle of last year, up 662,400 from 67,602,800 in the 12 months earlier.
The jump of 1.0 per cent in the year to mid-2023 follows a rise of 0.9 per cent in the year to mid-2022, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
It means the UK population is estimated to have increased by 1.28 million in the two years to mid-2023.
The rise of 662,400 in the 12 months to June 2023 is also the largest annual numerical increase since comparable data began in 1971.
Net international migration was the main contributor to the rise in population for all four countries of the UK in the year to mid-2023, the ONS said.
The latest figures show there were more deaths in the UK than the number of new babies being born.
There was an estimated 664,400 births in the UK in the year to mid-2023 and an estimated 680,700 deaths, giving a negative natural change of -16,300.
Net international migration is currently estimated at 677,300 for the year to mid-2023.
All estimates are likely to be revised within the next year as new data becomes available and improvements to estimates of international migration continue to be made, the ONS added.
