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The population of England and Wales on Sunday, April 2nd,
1911, is now returned as 36,070,492 persons. This number is
4,777 fewer than the unrevised figure previously published, and
shows an increase of 3,542,649 over the number living in 1901.
Thus, the decennial rate of increase was 10.9 per cent., the lowest
recorded in any intercensal period; in 1881-91 the rate was 11.65,
and it rose to 12.17 in 1891-1901. The recent decline in the rate
of growth is not, however, due to a falling off in the excess of
births over deaths, but to an increased loss by excess of emigrants
over immigrants; for, although the increase per cent. by births
was 3.01 less than in the previous ten years, this deficiency was
more than counterbalanced by the fall in the death-rate, and
the resulting natural increase by excess of births over deaths
was 12.43 per cent, in 1901-11, against 12.39 per cent. in
1891-1901. The numerical difference between the natural
increase and the actual increase, which is accounted for as loss
by migration, amounted to over 500,000 persons in the past
decennium, against only 60,000 in the previous period.
Comparison of the growth of population in England and
Wales with that in other countries shows that the increase in
the German Empire, 15.2 per cent., in the Netherlands 14'8
per cent., in Switzerland 13.2 per cent., and in Denmark 12.6
per cent., was in excess of the rate of 10.9 per cent. in England
and Wales; the United States, with a rate of 21.0 per cent..
the Australian Commonwealth with 18.1 per cent., New
Zealand with 30'5 per cent., and the Dominion of Canada with
34.1 per cent., are all progressing more rapidly than any
European country; while Ceylon and the Union of South
Africa show rates of increase slightly below that of Germany ;
and the Indian Empire, after suffering severely from famine
between 1891 and 1901, when the rate of increase fell to 2.5
per cent., has in the last completed intercensal period shown a
recovery to 7.1 per cent.
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