In 2024, approximately 948,000 million people migrated to the United Kingdom, while 517,000 people migrated from the UK, resulting in a net migration figure of 431,000. There have consistently been more people migrating to the United Kingdom than leaving it since 1993 when the net migration figure was negative 1,000. Although migration from the European Union has declined since the Brexit vote of 2016, migration from non-EU countries accelerated rapidly from 2021 onwards. In the year to June 2023, 968,000 people from non-EU countries migrated to the UK, compared with 129,000 from EU member states. Immigration and the 2024 election Since late 2022, immigration, along with the economy and healthcare, has consistently been seen by UK voters as one of the top issues facing the country. Despite a pledge to deter irregular migration via small boats, and controversial plans to send asylum applicants to Rwanda while their claims are being processed, Rishi Sunak's Conservative government lost the trust of the public on this issue. On the eve of the last election, 20 percent of Britons thought the Labour Party would be the best party to handle immigration, compared with 13 percent who thought the Conservatives would handle it better. Sunak and the Conservatives went on to lose this election, suffering their worst defeat in modern elections. Historical context of migration The first humans who arrived in the British Isles, were followed by acts of conquest and settlement from Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Danes, and Normans. In the early modern period, there were also significant waves of migration from people fleeing religious or political persecution, such as the French Huguenots. More recently, large numbers of people also left Britain. Between 1820 and 1957, for example, around 4.5 million people migrated from Britain to America. After World War Two, immigration from Britain's colonies and former colonies was encouraged to meet labour demands. A key group that migrated from the Caribbean between the late 1940s and early 1970s became known as the Windrush generation, named after one of the ships that brought the arrivals to Britain.

In the twelve months to December 2024, approximately 948,000 people migrated to the United Kingdom, while 517,000 emigrated away from the country, resulting in a net migration figure of 431,000.

Estimates for UK immigration, emigration and net migration, year ending June 2012 to year ending December 2024. These are official statistics in development. To access the most up-to-date data for each time period, please use the most recently published dataset.

In 2024, approximately 766,000 people from outside the European Union migrated to the United Kingdom, compared with 122,000 people from European Union countries, and 60,000 British nationals.

As of the second quarter of 2025, approximately 44 percent of people in the UK thought that immigration was an important issue facing the country, compared with 45 percent in the previous quarter.

Annual statistics relating to information on border control and visas, asylum, managed migration, and enforcement and compliance. Source agency: Home Office Designation: National Statistics Language: English Alternative title: Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom

Immigration levels in the UK were seen as being too high in the last ten years, by approximately 70 percent of Britons in July 2025, compared with 66 percent a year earlier.

United Kingdom UK: Net Migration data was reported at 900,000.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 990,000.000 Person for 2012. United Kingdom UK: Net Migration data is updated yearly, averaging 174,003.000 Person from Dec 1962 (Median) to 2017, with 12 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,030,075.000 Person in 2007 and a record low of -97,495.000 Person in 1982. United Kingdom UK: Net Migration data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Net migration is the net total of migrants during the period, that is, the total number of immigrants less the annual number of emigrants, including both citizens and noncitizens. Data are five-year estimates.; ; United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Sum;

Quarterly and annual statistics relating to information on border control and visas, asylum, managed migration, and enforcement and compliance. A new format for these statistics was introduced from second quarter 2011. See separate entry under immigration statistics at: http://data.gov.uk/dataset/immigration-statistics.

In 2024, the net migration figure for British citizens in the United Kingdom was negative 17,000, compared with negative 96,000 for citizens of European Union countries, and 544,000 for non-EU citizens.

This release replaces the previous annual and quarterly publications Control of Immigration Statistics and the annual British Citizenship, following a public consultation. Each topic now has its own entry, links to these related reports can be found under the "additional links" section. There are a range of measures that can be used to understand trends in immigration to the United Kingdom for work, for those people who are subject to immigration control. These include: issues of visas for entry clearance, providing information about those intending to come to the United Kingdom for work; work-related admissions data, providing information on migrants at the border; number of people allocated national insurance numbers, giving an indication of migrants entering the labour market; and estimates on non-EU immigration from the International Passenger Survey on migrants intending to stay for at least a year for work purposes. In addition, grants of (in-country) extensions of stay for work purposes provide information on migrants in-country, while work-related grants of settlement provides a measure of longer term migration.

2011 Census internal migration statistics for the UK give estimates that classify people and households in areas within the UK and those having moved from each area to elsewhere within the UK in the year preceding the Census.

Different migration-related data sources at local authority level including migration flows, non-UK-born and non-British populations, National Insurance number registrations, GP registrations, and births to non-UK-born mothers.

This release replaces the previous annual and quarterly publications Control of Immigration Statistics and the annual British Citizenship, following a public consultation. Each topic now has its own entry, links to these related reports can be found under the "additional links" section. There are a range of measures that can be used to understand trends in immigration to the United Kingdom for work, for those people who are subject to immigration control. These include: issues of visas for entry clearance, providing information about those intending to come to the United Kingdom for work; work-related admissions data, providing information on migrants at the border; number of people allocated national insurance numbers, giving an indication of migrants entering the labour market; and estimates on non-EU immigration from the International Passenger Survey on migrants intending to stay for at least a year for work purposes. In addition, grants of (in-country) extensions of stay for work purposes provide information on migrants in-country, while work-related grants of settlement provides a measure of longer term migration.

This release replaces the previous annual and quarterly publications Control of Immigration Statistics and the annual British Citizenship, following a public consultation. Each topic now has its own entry, links to these related reports can be found under the "additional links" section. The figures show the number of people, subject to immigration control, that are granted or refused permission to stay indefinitely.

In 2024, approximately 517,000 people emigrated from the United Kingdom, 77,000 of which were British citizens, 218,000 were EU citizens, and a further 222,000 were non-EU citizens.