Population in the UK

PM director Robin Maynard reviews a successful year for Population Matters, but one which brought much bad news about the planet.

With the critical COP25 climate change meeting opening in Madrid, Population Matters' 7m-high Big Baby brought a critical message to Westminster on Friday: cutting population growth through choosing smaller families is vital to fight climate change.

A new analysis by the UK Office for National Statistics shows that estimating the number of life years remaining, rather than counting the years lived, could be a better way of measuring ageing and its implications for society.

A new study shows that converting all farmland in England and Wales to organic agriculture could increase greenhouse gas emissions because meeting the food demands of the UK population would require using more land abroad.

The latest edition of the most authoritative report on biodiversity in the UK has just been released - State of Nature 2019. The 2016 version described the UK as "one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world". This new edition makes clear there has been no improvement - and shows some of the impacts of human population growth.

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, show that the UK's population is 66.4 million people, and that the proportion of people past retirement age continues to grow. Do these changes in the UK matter?

Prince Harry’s recent comments on choosing a small family for the sake of the planet caused a welcome swell in media coverage of population issues. According to a survey, the majority of Brits agree with the Duke of Sussex that it is necessary to limit one’s family size for the environment, while newly released data on UK births confirms an ongoing trend towards smaller families.

Decked in giant condom robes, Population Matters and supporters attended the mass lobby for climate and the environment in London yesterday, highlighting the urgent need for smaller families.