UK reports lowest net migration since 2012, excluding COVID period

Britain's net migration fell to 171,000 in 2025, the lowest level since 2012 excluding the COVID-19 pandemic period, according to official figures released Thursday.

Provisional data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed net migration, which reached a peak of 944,000 in the year to March 2023, continued to decline as the figure dropped to 171,000 last year.

According to the ONS, a fall in non-EU citizens arriving for "work-related reasons," down 47%, was the main reason behind last year's decline.

The number of people leaving the UK was recorded at more than 640,000, marking a 6% decrease, while 800,000 people immigrated to the country last year, down 20% from 2024 data.

Separately, the Home Office released figures on irregular migration showing the number of small-boat arrivals rose 3% in the year to March.

During the same period, the number of people claiming asylum fell 12%, while the number of asylum seekers housed in hotels declined by one-third.

A total of 39,271 people arrived in the UK on small boats in the year to March 2026, according to the Home Office.

"Net migration down 82%. Net migration is now at 171,000, down from a high of 944,000 under the Conservatives. This Government is restoring order and control to our borders," Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood wrote on US social media company X.

Earlier this month, the Home Office said more than 200,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats to reach the UK since records began in 2018.