Policy and Reform Minister Chris Thomas says the recent upturn in population figures came mainly from the under-65s.

Earlier this year the Census Report revealed a drop in population of more than 1,000 between 2011 and 2016, from 85,716 to 84,599, leading to calls for the government address the economic risk if the decline continued.

But last month Mr Thomas said new figures, based on the first quarter of this year, had shown the population was now growing at about 300 a year.

In the House of Keys on Tuesday, Julie Edge (LibVannin, Onchan) asked for background information.

Mr Thomas said: ’The estimate is based on records held by general practitioners. It is therefore not possible to accurately state either where they are or in what sector of the economy they work.

’What we can be reasonably sure about is that this increase relates in the main to the under-65 population.

’There is a difference of around 250 between the number of births and the number of 64-year-olds at present, and so in any one year the number of under-65s should fall by around 250 due to natural ageing. That is the natural population growth.

’GP records split the number of under and over-65s and the fact that the former did not fall in the year to the end of March 2017, for the first time for a long time, indicates that the majority of the immigration is in this younger age group.’