UK migration at lowest since 2012, show latest figures
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The latest figures on immigration to the UK show a sharp decline in net migration, which is now at its lowest point since 2012, excluding the pandemic years.
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Data released by the Office for National Statistics and the Home Office covers the most recent changes in visas, small boat arrivals, asylum hotel use and overall migration levels.
Several key metrics used to measure migration policy are heading in the direction the government (and much of the public) would like, but some are moving faster than others. Here’s what the headline figures tell us.
Migration levels continue to fall
Net migration – the number of people coming to the UK, minus the number leaving – fell to 171,000 in 2025. This is around half of its 2024 level and 82% lower than the historical high recorded in early 2023. The sharp decline results primarily from lower immigration of workers and the family members of international students. This followed the introduction of a suite of policies by the last Conservative government (who had previously liberalised the immigration system under Boris Johnson) to restrict immigration. The current Labour government has maintained these policies and brought in further restrictions.
However, while migration of groups that make positive or broadly neutral economic contributions, such as migrant workers, has fallen, asylum-related migration has...