On January 1 this year, 64.8 million people were living in the UK, about 13 per cent of the total number inside the EU. Despite its tiny size, Britain now has the third largest population in Europe behind Germany and France, the European Commission statistics show. And it is more densely populated than both.
Together with Italy, the four countries are now home to more than half the EU’s 508 million residents.Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics showed the UK population grew by more than 400,000 last year. Over half of the staggering increase - the same as a city the size of Manchester - was due to migration. Booming birth rates among migrant mothers was another major factor.
More than 2.3million citizens from other European countries are now living in Britain.
Campaigners seized on the figures about the UK’s share of EU residents to call for greater controls. Simon Ross of Population Matters said: “Britain is one of Europe’s most densely populated countries.
"Its population growth is contributing to a housing crisis, pressure on public services and fuel resources such as energy and water. Express.
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