Demography of the United Kingdom: Replacement dynamics

The article is dedicated to the study of demographic processes in modern Britain. The object of research is the country's demographics, while the subject focuses on changes in the numerical, age, and ethnic composition of the population. The main source of information is data from official censuses conducted every ten years. A detailed analysis has been carried out on the dynamics of population size, birth rates, ethnic structure, age shifts, and the increasing practice of using foreign languages. Particular attention is paid to the degradation of the family institution and the increase in the average age of British citizens. The work is based on a significant volume of current statistical material that has not been previously presented in domestic historiography, which allowed for the identification of hidden interconnections between demographic processes and the determination of long-term trends in the transformation of the social structure of modern British society, taking into account its ethnocultural specificity and spatial distribution. The methodological foundation of the study consists of comparative-historical and statistical analysis methods combined with elements of predictive modeling. The main trend identified is the absolute and relative growth of the share of communities of African, Asian, and European descent, primarily among the younger generation. By the early 2020s, up to half of all newborns were born to mothers of foreign origin. Names not belonging to the British cultural sphere are rapidly gaining popularity. Immigrants provide the main increase in the working-age population, while the birth rate among indigenous Britons has consistently remained below the level of simple reproduction for the past forty years. A demographic shift toward the descendants of migrants is forming. The long-term nature of the identified changes indicates their stability and structural resilience. The work may be of interest to a wide range of readers, as well as specialists in the fields of demography, political science, and ethnography.

United Kingdom, London, EU, demographics, migration, birth rate, family, diaspora, ethnic minorities, identity