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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Annual mid-year data on internal migration moves for England and Wales, by local authority, region, single year of age, five-year age group and sex. Data on internal migration moves between local authorities and regions and internal migration moves into and out of each local authority in England and Wales. Also including a lookup table listing each local authority in England and Wales, the region it is located within, its local authority code and region code.

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.

This dataset provides Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents in England and Wales by migrant indicator. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.

Area type

Census 2021 statistics are published for a number of different geographies. These can be large, for example the whole of England, or small, for example an output area (OA), the lowest level of geography for which statistics are produced.

For higher levels of geography, more detailed statistics can be produced. When a lower level of geography is used, such as output areas (which have a minimum of 100 persons), the statistics produced have less detail. This is to protect the confidentiality of people and ensure that individuals or their characteristics cannot be identified.

Coverage

Census 2021 statistics are published for the whole of England and Wales. Data are also available in these geographic types:

• country - for example, Wales
• region - for example, London
• local authority - for example, Cornwall
• health area – for example, Clinical Commissioning Group
• statistical area - for example, MSOA or LSOA

Migrant indicator

The migration indicator classifies people based on the difference between their current address and their address one year ago. It provides an indicator of the movement of people within the UK and from outside the UK, in the one-year period before the census.

Comparison between admin-based ethnicity statistics and Census 2021 estimates for five ethnic groups broken down by local authority in England and Wales.

This dataset is an analysis of the long-term migrant population of England and Wales by country of birth, passports held and other characteristics based on Census 2021.

Usual resident

A usual resident is anyone who on Census Day, 21 March 2021 was in the UK and had stayed or intended to stay in the UK for a period of 12 months or more, or had a permanent UK address and was outside the UK and intended to be outside the UK for less than 12 months.

Country of birth

The country in which a person was born. The following country of birth classifications are used in this dataset:

• Country of birth 12a: Political groupings of countries by EU membership and geographical location for non-EU countries.
• Country of birth 190a: Individual countries. This classification includes geographical groupings for low volume countries.
• Country of birth (3 categories): These categories have been derived from country of birth 12a and include all UK countries in "Europe: United Kingdom", all EU countries in "Europe: EU countries" and all remaining countries including British Overseas territories in "Non-EU countries (including British Overseas)".

Country of birth classifications

Passports held

The country or countries that a person holds, or is entitled to hold, a passport for. Where a person recorded having more than one passport, they were counted only once, categorised in the following priority order: 1. UK passport, 2. Irish passport, 3. Other passport.

The following classifications were created for this dataset for comparability with other international migration releases:

• Passports held (4 categories): High level political groupings of passport held by EU membership and geographical location for non-EU countries.
• Passports held (12 categories): Political groupings of passport held by EU membership and geographical location for non-EU countries.
• Passports held (150 categories): Individual countries for passport held. This classification includes geographical groupings for low volume countries.

Alternate passports held classifications

Economic activity status

The economic activity status of a person on Census Day, 21 March 2021. The following classification was created for this dataset:

• Economic activity status (6 categories): These categories have been derived from the base classification to create employed, self-employed, unemployed (seeking work), economically inactive students and economically active other groups.

Students who are economically active are included in either the Employee, Self-employed, or Unemployed (Looking for work) category

Economic activity status classifications

Industry

The industry worked in for those in current employment. The following classification was used for this dataset:

• Industry (current) classification 22a

Industry classifications

This dataset provides Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents in England and Wales by their length of residence in the UK. The estimates are as at Census Day, 21 March 2021.

This update provides unrounded migration estimates. The accompanying data are provided at Country level down to Output Areas.

Area type

Census 2021 statistics are published for a number of different geographies. These can be large, for example the whole of England, or small, for example an output area (OA), the lowest level of geography for which statistics are produced.

For higher levels of geography, more detailed statistics can be produced. When a lower level of geography is used, such as output areas (which have a minimum of 100 persons), the statistics produced have less detail. This is to protect the confidentiality of people and ensure that individuals or their characteristics cannot be identified.

Coverage

Census 2021 statistics are published for the whole of England and Wales. Data are also available in these geographic types:

• country - for example, Wales
• region - for example, London
• local authority - for example, Cornwall
• health area – for example, Clinical Commissioning Group
• statistical area - for example, MSOA or LSOA

Length of residence in the UK

The length of residence in the UK is derived from the date that a person most recently arrived to live in the UK. It does not include returning from a holiday or short stay outside the UK.

Length of residence is only applicable to usual residents who were not born in the UK. It does not include usual residents born in the UK who have emigrated and since returned -

these are recorded in the category “born in the UK”.

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

This dataset represents employment, occupation and industry data from Census 2021 by a usual resident’s passport held.

Occupation is classified using the Standard Occupation Classification 2020 version. Industry is classified using the Standard Industrial Classifications 2007 version.

Population estimates in this spreadsheet are individually rounded to the nearest 5 and percentages to 1 decimal place. Estimates may not sum due to this rounding.

Quality information can be found here

Census 2021 took place during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a period of unparalleled and rapid change; the national lockdown, associated guidance and furlough measures will have affected the labour market topic. For more information please refer to this article

Economically active

People aged 16 years and over who are an active participant in the labour market between 15 and 21 March 2021, as they were:

• in employment as an employee or self-employed
• unemployed, but looking for work and could start within two weeks
• unemployed, but waiting to start a job that has been offered and accepted

Economically inactive

People aged 16 years and over who did not have a job between 15 and 21 March 2021 and had not looked for work between 22 February and 21 March 2021 or could not start work within two weeks.

Age

This is someone’s age on their last birthday on Census Day, 21 March 2021 in England and Wales.

Disabled

People who assessed their day-to-day activities as limited by long-term physical or mental health conditions or illnesses are considered disabled. This definition of a disabled person meets the harmonised standard for measuring disability and is in line with the Equality Act (2010).

For more definitions please check this summary glossary.

There were approximately *** thousand Chinese nationals residing in the United Kingdom in 2021, an increase from the *** thousand Chinese nationals residing in the United Kingdom in 2008. The highest number of Chinese nationals residing in the United Kingdom was *** thousand in 2017.

Comparison between admin-based occupied address dataset and Census 2021 household estimates by local authority in England and Wales.

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.