The Office of National Statistics produced its regular update bulletin today which suggests the UK population will reach 7o million by the year 2027.

The other key findings are outlined below. The Full link is here - Link

Sport Think Tanks' Andy Reed said "As part of what we want to do here at the SportsThinkTank is to use the information that is so readily available to help Sport start to think about the challenges that lie ahead with issues like a growing and changing population. Good businesses will be looking at these figures and working out what they mean for them. In sport we need to be doingthe same - thinking much more strategically and with greater insight"

Key points

• The UK population is projected to increase by 4.9 million from an estimated 62.3 million in 2010 to 67.2 million over the ten year period to 2020
• Projected natural increase (more births than deaths) accounts for 56 per cent of the projected increase over the next decade
• The UK population is projected to increase to 73.2 million over the 25 year period to mid-2035, which is equivalent to an average annual growth rate of 0.6 per cent
• The UK population is projected to reach 70 million by mid-2027
• The population is projected to continue ageing with the average (median) age rising from 39.7 years in 2010 to 39.9 years in 2020 and 42.2 by 2035