For the year ending June 2024, approximately 1.2 million people migrated to the United Kingdom, while 479,000 people migrated from the UK, resulting in a net migration figure of 728,000. 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 next UK election Throughout 2023, immigration, along with the economy and healthcare, was consistently 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, the current government is losing the trust of the public on this issue. As of February 2024, 20 percent of Britons thought the Labour Party would be the best party to handle immigration, compared with 16 percent who thought the Conservatives would handle it better. With the next UK election expected at some point in 2024, the Conservatives are battling to improve their public image on this and many other issues. 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 labor 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.

Estimates for UK immigration, emigration and net migration, year ending June 2012 to year ending June 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.

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.

In the twelve months to June 2024, approximately 1.2 million people migrated to the United Kingdom, while 479,000 emigrated away from the country, resulting in a net migration figure of 728,000.

In the year ending June 2024, approximately 1.03 million people from outside the European Union migrated to the United Kingdom, compared with 116,000 people from European Union countries, and 58,000 British nationals.

In 2020/21 there were approximately 696,000 Polish nationals living in the United Kingdom, the highest non-British population at this time. Indian and Irish were the joint second-largest nationalities at approximately 370,000 people.

2020-based interim national population projections with assumptions of possible future international migration that reflect estimates of international migration to year ending June 2022. The potential future population size of the UK, Great Britain, England and Wales, England, Scotland and Wales. These statistics are widely used in planning, for example, fiscal projections, health, education and pensions. Not national statistics.

These tables include the data relating to ‘no recourse to public funds (NRPF): applications to change conditions of leave. A link to a factsheet relating to NRPF is included.

This document also contains data on:

• appeal representation rate
• the volume of oral hearings represented by the Home Office divided by the total number of oral hearings
• the decision quality percentage of decisions sampled
• percentage of asylum operations applications processed within 6 Months
• age of asylum operations initial decision work in progress applications made from 1 October 2006
• asylum operations work in progress
• breakdown of asylum operations costs and productivity
• deprivation orders: people deprived British citizenship on the grounds of fraud
• status of the OLCU 41k cohort of pre March 2007 unconcluded people previously owned by Case Resolution Directorate
• breakdown of the status of the OLCU 41k cohort of pre March 2007 unconcluded people previously owned by Case Resolution Directorate
• breakdown of the status of the people transferred out of the OLCU 41k Cohort
• breakdown of additional records identified of pre March 2007 unconcluded people previously owned by Case Resolution Directorate
• number of HR complex applications received and input, or applications that are submitted online
• percentage of HR complex applications processed within service standards
• HR complex work in progress and outstanding not input
• destitution change of conditions applications and outcomes (previously published separately)
• destitution change of conditions application by age group
• destitution change of conditions nationality of applicants
• destitution change of conditions gender of applicants
• Fee Waiver applications

Modelled estimates for UK immigration, emigration and net migration, January 2018 to June 2020.

Net migration reached its lowest level in 1950 (-52,800) when the number of migrants arriving in the country was estimated at eight thousand, compared to around 61,000 people departing. In 2023, there were more inflows than outflows, resulting in a net migration of nearly 7,000 people. Foreign migration of population For several years Poland has been witnessing a positive balance of migration. The number of immigrants reached 16.7 thousand, while emigration reached 9.9 thousand in 2023. The main directions of permanent emigration are Germany and the United Kingdom. Immigrants coming to Poland to live permanently are mostly returning Polish emigrants. Hence the most significant number of people came from the United Kingdom and Germany. Much larger is the scale of migration for temporary residence. There has been an increase in the number of immigrants temporarily staying in Poland in recent years. The number of economic immigrants is growing, especially Ukrainian citizens interested in taking up temporary employment. There is also a noticeable increase in the number of foreigners interested in continuing their education at Polish universities. The analysis of migration trends indicates that Poland is transforming from a typical emigration country into an emigration and immigration country. Internal migration of the population The period from 2017 to 2019 saw an increased number of internal movements. However, due to the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the number of internal migrants fell to 385 thousand in 2020. As a result of internal migration, rural areas gained residents. The balance of migration for rural areas amounted to nearly 40 thousand people. In Mazowieckie, Pomorskie, Małopolskie, Dolnośląskie, and Wielkopolskie region, the inflow of population was greater than the outflow. Therefore, internal migrations caused an increase in the population of those voivodeships. The remaining voivodeships recorded a decrease. The most significant population loss in 2020 was experienced by Lubelskie and Śląskie voivodeships - this trend has been maintained for several years.

As of 2020, 33 percent of Brazilians who emigrated to the United Kingdom did so in search of a better quality of life. Lack of job opportunities in Brazil was the reason for 19 percent of respondents, while 16 percent moved to the UK to join partners or family members.

Annual mid-year data on internal migration moves into and out of each local authority in England and Wales, including moves to and from Scotland and Northern Ireland.

UK residents by individual countries of birth and citizenship, broken down by UK country, local authority, unitary authority, metropolitan and London boroughs, and counties. Estimates from the Annual Population Survey.

Migration indicators from ONS and DWP.

The table below details the sources of the datasets available and the dates of their next update.

Migration Statistics Quarterly Report Statistical bulletins, ONS

26 November 2020

National Insurance numbers issued to overseas nationals, Stats-Xplore, DWP.

26 November 2020

Population Estimates for UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, ONS

June 2021

Local area migration indicators suite, ONS.

TBA

Internal migration - Detailed estimates dataset by origin and destination local authorities, sex and single year of age, ONS.

June 2021

Population of the UK by country of birth and nationality, ONS.

November 2020

Short term international migration for England and Wales – accompanying data

Discontinued - latest available data for 2017

As of January 2025, 17 percent of people in the UK thought that the Labour Party would be the best at handling immigration and asylum, compared with 13 percent who felt that the Conservatives would be the best, and seven percent who thought the Liberal Democrats would handle immigration the best.