UK population growth slows to its lowest rate since 1998, official data shows

The United Kingdom's population growth has slowed to its lowest rate since 1998, according to official data. The population now stands at 69.5 million, driven by a sharp fall in net migration to 222,900, down from 651,700 the previous year.

The figures, typically compiled by the UK's Office for National Statistics, reflect a significant deceleration from the elevated net migration levels recorded in recent years, which had followed changes to immigration rules after Britain's departure from the European Union.

A slowdown of this scale in net migration has knock-on effects for projections of the UK's working-age population, housing demand and public service planning, all of which rely heavily on migration data for forecasting. The data does not, on its own, indicate the specific causes behind the drop, which may include policy changes, visa rule adjustments or shifts in global migration patterns.

Government officials have not, per the available reporting, released an official response characterizing the new figures as a deliberate outcome of recent policy changes.