The UK population will soar by a quarter to 77 million by 2050 - making it bigger than France and Germany.Most of Western Europe will remain stagnant at around 189 million.But Britain's 62.2 million residents will rise dramatically over the next 40 years, reckons the US-based Population Reference Bureau. The global population will also shoot up from 6.89 billion to 9.49 billion. Much of this rise will come from India, which will become the world's largest country.The report said the whole of Europe will drop from 739 million to 720 million. France is expected to hit 70 million and Germany 71.5 million. The Office for National Statistics last month showed the UK was up 0.6% in 2008/09 on the previous year. Related articles:

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