Headcount

2023, UK migration

On this page

Method: Current method

In 2023, 1,441,000 people moved to the UK and 593,000 moved away.

Net migration
848,000

People moving for a year or more. All UK, every nationality, including British citizens.

British
150,000 moved to the UK and 255,000 moved away. Here the ONS counts as British anyone with a National Insurance number who is not on its record of overseas nationals given one, and people on that record who have lived in the UK for many years and are likely to have become British citizens. The ONS says this definition is statistical and may differ from legal definitions of nationality.
Method
An ONS estimate from its current method, based mainly on government records. The ONS changed its method in 1991, so years either side are not directly comparable. Its current series starts in the year ending June 2012, and its older survey-based figures, which run on to 2019 in Table 2.00, are not directly comparable with it. It changed its method again in mid-2021, and says comparisons across that change should be treated with caution.
Latest year
In 2025 (first estimate), 813,000 people moved to the UK and 642,000 moved away. The ONS puts net migration that year at 171,000.
Source
ONS, Long-term international migration, year ending December 2025, published 21 May 2026
British from the ONS, migration flows dataset, May 2026
Post on X

ONS figures for every year from 1964 to 2025.

Since you were born

From 2023 to 2025, 3,266,000 people moved to the UK and 1,915,000 moved away.

These add up each year's ONS estimate. 2025 is a first estimate. The same person can count more than once.

Every year

Each year opens its own page, with its card to share.

1960s
196419651966196719681969
1970s
1970197119721973197419751976197719781979
1980s
1980198119821983198419851986198719881989
1990s
1990199119921993199419951996199719981999
2000s
2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
2010s
2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
2020s
202020212022202320242025