By Matt Cavanagh
The 2011 Census, published today, shows that the population of England and Wales reached 56.1 million, up by 3.7 million since 2001, and slightly higher than previous estimates.
The three facts which are likely to make the headlines are: that this is the largest ten-year increase since the Census began in 1801; that over half (55 per cent) of the increase was due to net migration; and that the population density of England, at just over 400 people per square kilometre, is higher than G8 countries and all major EU countries except the Netherlands.
But there is more to the Census than these headlines suggest. If 55 per cent of the increase in population was directly due to net migration, that leaves 44 per cent due to natural population increase: the increase in births (6.6
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