The UK population is set to surpass 61 million, new data has revealed.

The population increase has been partially attributed to a baby boom driven by immigration. Migrants settling in the UK from certain countries, such as India and Pakistan, have statistically higher birth rates than UK-born residents.

Baby booms are boosting populations in the UK and Africa

This is the first time in over a decade that population increase has been due to natural change, or the difference between net births and deaths. The number of births has also outstripped the number of new immigrants, which fell to 118,000 last year, a drop of 44%.

Despite the decline in net immigration, the UK population increased by 408,000 last year, the largest annual increase since 1972.

The release of the report coincides with the news that Africa’s population has reached 1 billion. The increase is due to the continent’s massive birth rate – the highest in the world.

Globally the average woman has 2.6 children, but in sub-Saharan Africa the number rises to 5.3. Only 28 percent of married African women use contraception compared to 62 percent of women worldwide.

Most of the world’s population increase is in the poorest countries. However, the rising UK population is a concern because of the country’s small size: there is a more finite amount of space due to its geographical restriction as an island.