England has become the most crowded major country in Europe, official figures show.
The number of people crammed in has overtaken those in Holland, long the most densely-populated major nation on the continent. A count released to MPs showed England now has 395 people per square kilometre. Crowding has increased because of high immigration into England while the Dutch population has fallen or remained steady.
Last night MPs who are campaigning for 'balanced migration' said the figures were a milestone in the immigration debate.
Beyond Europe, England's population density is among the highest in the world. Of countries with a population of at least 10million, England ranks third in density after Bangladesh (1,045 per sq km) and South Korea (498 per sq km).
The English figures were in a Commons written answer from National Statistician Karen Dunnell.
Miss Dunnell said that in 2008 the number of people in every square kilometre in Britain was 253 with 395 in England. Latest figures from Holland show that its population density was 395 a square kilometre in 2002 and 393 in 2005.
The only country in the European Union with greater crowding is Malta. The Mediterranean island is a special case because it has only 400,000 people, most of whom live around the port of Valletta.
Increasing crowding in England is largely concentrated in the South and East, where in recent years the greatest number of migrants have headed to provide labour for agriculture, construction and service industries.
Official projections say the population will become even more concentrated in the future.