Spotlight
Long-term international migration, provisional: year ending December 2023
What's in the bulletin?
- Long-term net migration (the number of people immigrating minus the number emigrating) was provisionally estimated to be 685,000 in the year ending (YE) December 2023, compared with our updated estimate of 764,000 for the YE December 2022; while it is too early to say if this is the start of a new downward trend, emigration increased in 2023, while new Home Office data show visa applications have fallen in recent months.
- With more complete data on how long people are staying in and out of the UK, our previous provisional estimates published in November 2023 have been updated; long-term net migration for the YE December 2022 and the YE June 2023 is estimated to be 19,000 and 68,000 higher, respectively.
- Following a period of growth since 2021, the provisional estimate for total long-term immigration for the YE December 2023 (1,218,000) was broadly similar to the YE December 2022 (1,257,000), with non-EU arrivals accounting for 85% of the YE December 2023 figure; this bulletin covers a period before the implementation of changes to government policy on legal migration rules for family-, study- and work- related visas, which came into effect at varying dates from January 2024.
Reason for international migration, international students update: May 2024
International student migration to the UK. Provisional estimates, 2018 to 2023. These are official statistics in development.Datasets related to International migration
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Characteristics of dual citizens, England and Wales
Analysis of dual citizens in England and Wales by multiple passports held, country of birth, age, sex, year of arrival and national identity.
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International migration – table of contents
Tool to locate the datasets of Long-Term International Migration and International Passenger Survey estimates.
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Long-term international immigration, emigration and net migration flows, provisional
Estimates for UK immigration, emigration and net migration, year ending June 2012 to year ending December 2023. These are official statistics in development.
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Population by country of birth and nationality (Discontinued after June 2021)
UK residents by broad country of birth and citizenship groups, broken down by UK country, local authority, unitary authority, metropolitan and London boroughs, and counties. Estimates from the Annual Population Survey.
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Population of the UK by country of birth and nationality: individual country data (Discontinued after June 2021)
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.
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Local area migration indicators, UK (Discontinued after 2020)
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.
Publications related to International migration
Statistical bulletins
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Long-term international migration, provisional: year ending December 2023
Estimates of UK international migration. Those for year ending (YE) March, June, September and December 2023 are provisional and will be updated when more complete data become available. Those for YE March and June 2023 have been updated and data for YE September and December 2022 are now complete. These are official statistics in development.
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International migration, England and Wales: Census 2021
International migration, including country of birth, passports held and year of arrival, Census 2021 data.
Articles
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Estimating UK international migration: 2012 to 2021
How migration has changed over the decade, the methods used to produce the updated series and the evidence used to demonstrate confidence that the new methods are robust.
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Measuring migration: the story behind the headlines
In this interactive article, we take you behind the headlines and use the latest data to answer questions about international migration. We also explain why measuring migration is harder than you might think.
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Dual citizens living in England and Wales
Passports held, country of birth, age, sex, year of arrival and national identity for dual citizens in England and Wales.
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Population and migration estimates - exploring alternative definitions
Considering new ways of estimating the population to enhance our existing statistics.
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The international student population in England and Wales: Census 2021
Country of birth, age, sex, employment status, industry, housing type and language spoken for the international student population of England and Wales.
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The changing picture of short-term international migration, England and Wales
An overview of non-UK-born short-term residents in England and Wales, who were born outside the UK and intended to stay for under 12 months in total. The report includes information on their country of birth, economic activity, and industry as well as other characteristics.
Find, compare and visualise statistics about places within the United Kingdom.