Pandemic cited as a major factor in the slow population growth

The United Kingdom (UK) population grew in 2020 at its slowest pace in almost two decades, based on the latest numbers coming out of the Office for National Statistics.

The slow growth in the population is being blamed on the coronavirus, which has resulted in a total shut down in the country and containment measures being rolled out across the UK. The Office for National Statistics reports that the number of people living in the country rose to a record 67.1 million as of June 2020, an increase of 284,000 from mid-2019.

However, this 0.4 per cent increase was the smallest since 2002 and even lower than estimated in preliminary figures published two months ago. The slowdown reflected a sharp increase in deaths, restrictions on international travel and the numbers of people leaving the UK after the first lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 was imposed in March last year.

Many EU citizens left the UK last year

The Office for National Statistics reports that about 47,000 people left the UK in the following three months. The majority were European Union citizens, who found themselves out of work when shops, restaurants and other industries were forced to close.

The capital of London saw a net loss of 101,000 people to other parts of the country, which is consistent with evidence of people now being able to work from home leaving big cities in search of space.

The population was boosted by more foreigners arriving in the UK than leaving in the eight months prior to Britain going into lockdown. However, based on the numbers, net emigration seen in the second quarter points to a significant exodus foreign workers as the pandemic dragged on.

With the economy now bouncing back strongly, restaurants and other firms that relied heavily on migrant workers before the pandemic are finding it difficult to fill vacancies.

Brexit had a major role to play

Bloomberg reports that Brexit has also played a role, with fewer European Union workers coming to the UK since the 2016 vote to leave the European Union.

Almost 50,000 people left the UK when the pandemic struck with analysts reporting that the pandemic has made it hard to track migration flows. The International Passenger Survey, which questioned arrivals face-to-face at entry ports, was suspended in March last year due to social distancing requirements.

Since then, the Office for National Statistics has been working on modeled estimates using travel and border flow administrative data. For policy makers, knowing the size and composition of the population is important for the planning and allocation of resources.

There are also big implications for potential economic growth and the public finances. A sharp fall in migration would mean less tax revenue to pay down the huge debts built up to help the country through the pandemic