Recent UK population data suggest a remarkable rise in the domestic birthrate. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) more babies are being born in the UK than at any time since 1972. On average, British-born women give birth to 1.89 children while foreignborn UK residents have 2.28 children. This suggests that in-migration is good for UK population growth: ONS project the UK population to be 73 million by 2037 (Figure 1).
Why is this sociologically important? Well, the ‘baby boomers’ born in a large wave just after the Second World War are retiring now, so we will need to plan for more people in the crucial 16–64 working age group to provide the taxes and person-power needed to support pensions and services for this expanding group of retirees.
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