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Population

Volume 714: debated on Tuesday 3 November 2009

Question

Asked by

To ask Her Majesty's Government what projections they have for the population of the United Kingdom for each 10 years up to 2050. [HL6044]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Jil Matheson, National Statistician, to Lord Laird, dated October 2009.

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question to Her Majesty’s Government regarding what projections they have for the population of the United Kingdom for each ten years up to 2050. (HL6044)

The most recent national population projections, based on the population at the middle of 2008, were published by the Office for National Statistics on 21 October 2009. The table below shows the projected total population of the United Kingdom for the years requested.

Year

Total population (millions)

2010

62.2

2020

66.5

2030

70.6

2040

73.9

2050

76.8

The assumptions underlying national population projections are demographic-trend based. They are not forecasts and do not attempt to predict the impact that factors such as future government policies or changing economic circumstances might have on the population. The projections also become increasingly uncertain the further they are carried forward.