Immigration is the main cause of the UK's population growth, according to recent data.

According to estimates, the country's population grew by 1.0% in the year ending June 2023, marking the highest yearly rate since comparable data started in 1971.

Data that was made public on Tuesday indicates that this is the case even though there are more deaths than births in Britain.

In the middle of last year, there were probably 68,265,200 residents in the UK, an increase of 662,400 from 67,602,800 a year earlier.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reports that there was an increase of 0.9% in the year to mid-2022 and a surge of 1.0% in the year to mid-2023.

It means the UK population is estimated to have increased by 1.28 million in the two years to mid-2023.

The rise of 662,400 in the 12 months to June 2023 is also the largest annual numerical increase since comparable data began in 1971.

Net international migration was the main contributor to the rise in population for all four countries of the UK in the year to mid-2023, the ONS said.

The latest figures show there were more deaths in the UK than the number of new babies being born.

There was an estimated 664,400 births in the UK in the year to mid-2023 and an estimated 680,700 deaths, giving a negative natural change of -16,300.

For the year ending in mid-2023, net foreign migration is currently projected to be 677,300.

The ONS stated that when more data become available and efforts to enhance estimates of international migration continue, all of the estimates are probably going to be updated within the next year.