England to be most crowded European country in 50 years

London, May 6 : England is set to become the most crowded European country in the next 50 years, official forecasts suggest.

According to a report in The Telegraph, the population density in England is almost double the level in Germany. England's population is now 50 million, but by 2056 it will be 68 million - or 1,349 for every square mile. At present there are 1,010 per square mile.

In London, the population density will jump from 12,377 people per square mile to 13,910 over 20 years.

The Conservatives, who obtained the figures from the Office for National Statistics, called for tariffs on migration.

The population density in England is already almost double the level in Germany and quadruple that in France. About 1.3 million immigrants have arrived in the past decade. Yet the benefits to indigenous Britons have been questioned, most recently by a cross-party group of peers.

London aside, the biggest rises will be in the East and South West of England, up 16 per cent by 2029, while the population of the North East is expected to remain static.

Scotland's population will remain the same at 171 per square mile; Wales will have 15 per cent more residents by 2056 and Northern Ireland will have 19 per cent more.

ANI