Britain to be EU's most populous nation by 2060

(BRUSSELS) - Britain will be the EU's most populous nation by 2060, overtaking Germany where the birth rate is falling, the European Commission said Tuesday.

The population of Britain will rise to 80.1 million by then, compared to 64.1 million in 2014, said the report on Europe's ageing population.

Its fertility rate is set to stay at a relatively high rate of around 1.93 births per woman along with a net migration rate of 210,100 thousand per year.

Germany currently has the biggest population in the 28-nation EU with 81.3 million people but that figure is set to fall by more than 10 million to 70.8 million by 2060, it said.

The predicted decrease is due to a low birth rate that is currently at 1.40 children per woman, despite the fact that it will rise to 1.63 children per woman by 2060, which remains below the replacement rate of 2.0 children per women.

France and Ireland are predicted to have the highest birth rates at 2.0 children per women, with France's population set to rise from 65.7 million to 75.7 million.

Europe's population as a whole is set to rise slightly to 523 million in 2060 compared to 507 million currently.