
UK population 'to top 70 million in 12 years
The UK population is to increase beyond 70 million in the next 12 years, official projections suggest.
The Office for National Statistics said the population was expected to increase by 4.4 million in the next decade, before reaching 70 million in 2027. By then, more than one in 12 UK people are expected to be aged 80 or over.
That increase is roughly the size of the Irish Republic.
The UK population is projected to grow by 9.7 million over the next 25 years, to 74.3 million with at least 7 million of the growth coming from migrants.