THE UK population has boomed to a record high of 64.6 million people - with immigration being the largest contributing factor.
Official figures released today showed that the UK has seen a surge in almost half a million people within a year, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The increase between mid-2013 and mid-2014 included net migration of 259,700 - with 582,600 migrants having entered the country compared to just 322,900 that left.
In total, immigration accounted for over half of the total increase.
Over the last year, England has seen an almost one per cent surge in population - with the country now loaded with 54.3 million people.
In Scotland, the figure stands at 5.3 million people, while Wales saw their numbers climb to 3.1 million and Northern Ireland to 1.8 million people.
The figures mean the UK's population has grown by 0.77 per cent to 64,596,800 people since the middle of last year - higher than the annual increase of three quarters of a per cent seen over the last decade, the ONS said.