Net migration to the UK fell by nearly 50% to 171,000 last year, according to official figures released on Thursday, in what will be seen as a boost for Keir Starmer’s government.
Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the difference between the number of people moving to the UK and the number of people leaving was at its lowest level since 2021.
The figure was down 48% year on year from 331,000 in 2024, extending a sharp decline from a record peak of 944,000 in 2023.
The figures will encourage government ministers who have promised to drive down the number of people moving to the UK. Migration has become a key political battleground against the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
The number of nationals from outside the EU arriving for work-related reasons fell by 47% in 2025, which was the main cause of the continued fall in net migration. Over the same period, overall emigration fell slightly.
An estimated 813,000 people immigrated to the UK while 642,000 emigrated. The continued fall in net migration was being driven by fewer people from outside the EU arriving in the UK for work, the ONS said.
ONS figures cover net migration figures in the 12 months to December 2025.
The Home Office is publishing its own figures on Thursday related to the 12-month period to March 2026.
Many people mistakenly believe net migration is rising in Britain despite figures dropping to their lowest level in years, a thinktank has found. Research from British Future, published ahead of latest government figures on migration, revealed a chasm between reality and public perception of net migration, with a substantial portion of the public believing it had increased.
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