The number of babies born to immigrant mothers has doubled in a decade, official figures reveal.
Some 24.6 per cent of children delivered in England and Wales last year were to women who were born abroad.
There were 174,174 births to foreign mothers last year, compared to 86,456 in 1998.
Crowded: Net migration last year increased by 33,000 to 196,000, from 163,000 in 2008, putting more pressure on the UK's infrastructure
The highest figure in the UK was recorded in Newham, east London, where more than three quarters – 75.5 per cent – of births were to immigrant mothers, according to the Office of National Statistics.
The three most common countries of birth of non-UK born mothers are Pakistan, Poland and India.
The Office for National Statistics said: 'If the number of non UK-born women living in England and Wales increases then it follows that the number of births to these women is likely to increase.'
The figures also reveal the UK population swelled by nearly 200,000 last year - one of the largest increases during Labour's 13 years in power.
There were 196,000 more immigrants than Britons leaving for abroad, according to official figures released on Thursday.
That meant the overall population of Britain rose by the equivalent of a city the size of Portsmouth.
Boom: The number of babies born to mothers who were themselves born outside the UK has increased sharply over the last decade
'Net migration', the number of immigrants in excess of the number of people leaving the country, was 20 per cent up on 2008 - defying predictions that the recession would reduce the figure.
The population is now set to hit the sensitive 70million barrier two years earlier than expected.
But the rise has mainly been fuelled by a drop in emigration by British citizens.
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Almost certainly as a result of the downturn, 23 per cent fewer Britons left the country than in the year before - down from 166,000 to 127,000.
The increased numbers staying put meant immigrants made a greater contribution to the size of the overall population.
It had been projected Britain's population would reach 70million by 2029 - which some analysts say will put pressure on transport, housing, water, power and other services.
At the last year's migration rates, this symbolic figure will be reached two years earlier, 17 years from now.
England is already the most crowded country in Europe, bar tiny Malta, according to figures given to MPs this week.
The 196,000 net migration figure - up from 163,000 in 2008 - has been exceeded only three times.
Higher figures were recorded in 2004, 2005 and 2007, years in which hundreds of thousands of Eastern Europeans came to the UK after their countries joined the EU.
Ministers blamed Labour for the latest rise, saying its 'points-based system' for controlling immigration had failed.
They repeated their pledge to reduce net migration to the levels of the 1990s. But Tory MPs said the 2009 jump in net migration was a 'wake-up call' for the Coalition.
The Migrationwatch think-tank called for an immigration cap to be supplemented by a four-year limit on stays by economic migrants unless they can prove their long-term value to the UK.
Yesterday's official estimates said that 437,000 foreign citizens came into Britain last year, 'not statistically significantly different' from numbers in 2008.
A further 91,000 Britons came back into the country from living abroad, again, a figure not meaningfully different from that for the previous year.
Immigration from Eastern Europe continued to add to the population. Estimates showed that 52,000 Poles and other Eastern Europeans came into the country while 47,000 left.
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The number of people granted the right to settle in Britain by the Home Office rose by well over a third, 37 per cent, in the 12 months up to June this year.
The 224,390 people allowed to live in this country to work or join their families was up from 163,600 in the year to June 2008.
Ministers, who have said a cap on immigration from outside Europe will be brought in next year, blamed Labour for the figures.
Immigration Minister Damian Green said: 'Labour's immigration legacy is even worse than anyone feared.
'These statistics show why we must tighten our immigration system in order to reduce net migration to manageable levels.
'While it is important that we attract the brightest and the best to ensure strong economic growth, uncontrolled migration places unacceptable pressure on public services.
'The Government is committed to reducing the level of net migration over the course of this Parliament to the levels of the 1990s - tens of thousands each year, not hundreds of thousands.'
But Tory MP James Clappison said: 'These figures are a real wake-up call for the Coalition - if one were needed.
'Immigration at this level would result in a greatly over-crowded country, and there are few tasks if any more vital for the Coalition than to clamp down on the history of high levels of immigration.'
Some ministers, notably Business Secretary Vince Cable, have made public their opposition to any cap.
But a study by left-leaning think tank Demos last weekend which showed immigration concerns were responsible for voters deserting Labour at the May election has concentrated the minds of politicians.
Sir Andrew Green, of Migrationwatch, said: 'If we are to stem the inexorable rise of our population to 70million within 20 years, of which 68 per cent will be the result of immigration, economic migrants should be expected to leave after four years and their departure recorded.'
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