London, Oct. 22 -- - The population of Britain is expected to reach almost 70 million by 2028, driven up mainly by immigration, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Monday.

The population is projected to increase by three million, or 4.5 percent, from an estimated 66.4 million in mid-2018 to 69.4 million in mid-2028.

ONS said England's population is likely to grow more quickly than the other parts of Britain, increasing five percent between mid-2018 and mid-2028 to 58.8 million, compared with 3.7 percent for Northern Ireland (2 million), 1.8 percent for Scotland (5.5 million) and 0.6 percent for Wales (3.2 million).

The analysis shows that over the next 10 years, 27 percent of Britain's population growth is projected to result...