Insight
What are the latest UK net migration figures?
ONS arrivals, departures and the difference.
HeadcountPublished Figures to December 2025, first estimate
Short answer
Net migration to the UK was 171,000 in the year to December 2025. About 813,000 people moved here for a year or more and 642,000 left. This is a first estimate from the ONS, with a likely range of 145,000 to 197,000, and the lowest figure since the year to March 2021.
[1] ONS, Long-term international migration, provisional: year ending December 2025, bulletin, published 21 May 2026
How many people moved to the UK, and how many left?
The ONS gives each figure with a likely range. It says the range probably understates the doubt, as it excludes some sources of error.
| Estimate | Likely range | |
|---|---|---|
| Arrived | 813,000 | 789,000 to 823,000 |
| Left | 642,000 | 616,000 to 655,000 |
| Net migration | 171,000 | 145,000 to 197,000 |
[2] ONS, Long-term international immigration, emigration and net migration flows, provisional, Tables 1 and 2, published 21 May 2026
How has net migration changed since 2012?
Net migration was 171,000 in the year to December 2025, 160,000 lower than the 331,000 in the year to December 2024. The highest figure in the current ONS series was 944,000, in the year to March 2023.
Net migration to the UK, people, each year to December, 2012 to 2025
People · 2025 is a first estimate
| Period | People | Note |
|---|---|---|
| The year to December 2012 | 195,000 | |
| The year to December 2013 | 244,000 | |
| The year to December 2014 | 284,000 | |
| The year to December 2015 | 303,000 | |
| The year to December 2016 | 249,000 | |
| The year to December 2017 | 208,000 | |
| The year to December 2018 | 276,000 | |
| The year to December 2019 | 184,000 | |
| The year to December 2020 | 93,000 | |
| The year to December 2021 | 467,000 | |
| The year to December 2022 | 891,000 | |
| The year to December 2023 | 848,000 | |
| The year to December 2024 | 331,000 | revised |
| The year to December 2025 | 171,000 | first estimate |
Each bar is the ONS estimate of net migration for the year to December. The table gives every figure.
Lighter bars are first estimates, which the ONS will revise. The ONS changed how it counts British and EU citizens in 2021, so years either side are not directly comparable.
[1] ONS, Long-term international migration, provisional: year ending December 2025, bulletin, published 21 May 2026[2] ONS, Long-term international immigration, emigration and net migration flows, provisional, Tables 1 and 2, published 21 May 2026
Who is arriving and leaving?
In the year to December 2025, more British and EU+ citizens left than arrived and more non-EU+ citizens arrived than left.
Of non-EU+ arrivals, the ONS says 47% came for study-related reasons and 23% for work-related reasons. These two shares are quoted from its bulletin.
| Citizenship | Arrived | Left | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| British | 110,000 | 246,000 | −136,000 |
| EU+ | 76,000 | 118,000 | −42,000 |
| non-EU+ | 627,000 | 278,000 | +350,000 |
A minus sign means more people left than arrived. The ONS rounds each figure on its own, so the groups can add up to a little more or less than the totals.
[1] ONS, Long-term international migration, provisional: year ending December 2025, bulletin, published 21 May 2026[2] ONS, Long-term international immigration, emigration and net migration flows, provisional, Tables 1 and 2, published 21 May 2026
How much do first estimates change?
The ONS first put net migration for the year to December 2024 at 431,000, in May 2025. Its later releases gave 345,000 in November 2025 and 331,000 in May 2026. Both of those later releases came with changes to the ONS's methods, and the ONS says the November 2025 change came from its new methods and updated data from the Home Office.
Of the 15 settled figures since the year to June 2021, 11 ended higher than first published and 4 lower. The typical change was 116,000 people either way, worked out here from each release. The ONS changed its methods in November 2022, May 2023, November 2023, November 2024, November 2025 and May 2026, and each of these figures was revised in at least one of those releases, so part of every change comes from new methods, not only from more data. Read why first estimates change.
| Period | First published | Latest |
|---|---|---|
| Year to Jun 2021 | 239,000May 2022 | 251,000May 2026 |
| Year to Dec 2021 | 397,000Nov 2022 | 467,000May 2026 |
| Year to Jun 2022 | 504,000Nov 2022 | 681,000May 2026 |
| Year to Dec 2022 | 606,000May 2023 | 891,000May 2026 |
| Year to Jun 2023 | 672,000Nov 2023 | 924,000May 2026 |
| Year to Dec 2023 | 685,000May 2024 | 848,000May 2026 |
| Year to Jun 2024 | 728,000Nov 2024 | 649,000May 2026 |
| Year to Dec 2024 | 431,000May 2025 | 331,000May 2026 |
| Year to Jun 2025 | 204,000Nov 2025 | 219,000May 2026 |
| Year to Dec 2025 | 171,000May 2026 | 171,000May 2026 |
[3] ONS, Table 1 of each release from May 2022 to May 2026, net migration as each release gave it, published 21 May 2026
When are the next figures?
The ONS plans to publish figures for the year to June 2026 on Thursday 26 November 2026 at 9.30am. The date is provisional. This page shows them once they are checked.
[4] ONS, Release announcement, Long-term international migration, provisional: year ending June 2026, next release
How this page is built
Each build imports figures from official tables without manual entry. If a release changes any figure, the page cannot be rebuilt until each change is checked against its source.
Sources and method · How we check · How sure the figures are
Earlier figures
- The year to June 2025, 204,000 as first published. The latest release gives 219,000.Source: ONS, November 2025 release ↗
- The year to December 2024, 431,000 as first published. The latest release gives 331,000.Source: ONS, May 2025 release ↗
- The year to June 2024, 728,000 as first published. The latest release gives 649,000.Source: ONS, November 2024 release ↗
- The year to December 2023, 685,000 as first published. The latest release gives 848,000.Source: ONS, May 2024 release ↗
- The year to June 2023, 672,000 as first published. The latest release gives 924,000.Source: ONS, November 2023 release ↗
- The year to December 2022, 606,000 as first published. The latest release gives 891,000.Source: ONS, May 2023 release ↗
- The year to June 2022, 504,000 as first published. The latest release gives 681,000.Source: ONS, November 2022 release ↗
- The year to June 2021, 239,000 as first published. The latest release gives 251,000.Source: ONS, May 2022 release ↗
Words used here
Sources in full
- Long-term international migration, provisional: year ending December 2025 ↗ONS · bulletin · published 21 May 2026
- Long-term international immigration, emigration and net migration flows, provisional ↗ONS · Tables 1 and 2 · published 21 May 2026
- Table 1 of each release from May 2022 to May 2026 ↗ONS · net migration as each release gave it · published 21 May 2026
- Release announcement, Long-term international migration, provisional: year ending June 2026 ↗ONS · next release