Thaindian News

London, June 9 (IANS) Britain would become the most populated country in the European Union by 2060, according to latest statistics.

The population of Britain would be 79 million by the year 2060 from the present 62 million, the Daily Express reported.

Eurostat, the EU statistical office, says more than half of Britain’s increase - 10 million people - will be as a direct consequence of immigration.

According to official figures, 1,440 migrants move to Britain every day.

Tory MP Nicholas Soames, of the Balanced Migration campaign group, has called for a limit on the population to be held at 65 million.

“We have seen this coming. The government needs to control the whole immigration structure a lot more carefully. We have to monitor the number of people coming and going in fine detail,” he said.

“These figures are truly frightening for a geographically small country like Britain. This level of population growth is simply unsustainable. The country faces ever increasing pressure on its housing, roads, transport systems, education and health services, and its infrastructure and public services generally,” an official said.

The Office for National Statistics revealed that in 2010, the number of people in the country grew by 243,000. Eurostat says the annual figure will be 133,610 in 2060.

In contrast to Britain, Germany will see its population plummet from 81.7 million to 66.3 million by 2060, largely due to falling births, and France would grow from 64.7 million to 73.7 million.