THE UK population is seeing its biggest fall since World War 2 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, academics have said.
A study by the Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence showed an “unprecedented exodus” of foreign-born workers in Britain, with the population dropping by an estimated 1.3million in 2020.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
It comes after labour data suggested a drop of more than half a million foreign born residents in Britain in the year up to last September.
Authors Michael O’Connor and Jonathan Portes said, however, that the Office for National Statistics had not taken Covid-19 emigration into account, meaning the figure was exaggerated.
Their own estimates, which they called “a much more plausible picture of recent developments”, showed that the total population has actually "fallen by more than 1.3million”.
The authors wrote: “While the total population was almost flat in the late 1970s, if this is even close to being accurate, this is the largest fall in the UK resident population since World War 2."
The impact of the drop has been biggest in London, with the economists estimating a fall of almost 700,000 in the capital's population.
It echos a similar drop seen in the 1970s.
“Big shifts in population trends in London, driven by economic changes and events, are by no means historically unprecedented… so the picture of sustained growth driven by international migration is relatively recent.
"If this has now reversed, the medium to long-term implications for London will be profound,” the report said.
The adjusted population estimates also helped explain why official unemployment remains so low at 4.9pc despite the economic shock of Covid, The Telegraph reports.
“Much of the burden of job losses during the pandemic has fallen on non-UK workers and has manifested itself in return migration, rather than unemployment”, the report said.
But coronavirus inspired emigration is not the only threat to the UK’s population, with recent research suggesting the nation could also face a “baby bust” this year.
As a result of lockdown and financial instability, couples are delaying starting families and could push the birth rate to its lowest on record, according to estimates from PWC.
The firm's economists suggested that just 569,000 babies are likely to be born this year, down from as many as 724,000 in 2011.
It would make 2021 the lowest years for babies born since 1900.
Source: Read Full Article