Net migration to UK falls by nearly 50% after Labour’s vow to cut numbers | Immigration and asylum

Net migration to the UK fell by nearly 50% last year to 171,000, according to official figures released on Thursday. This will be seen as a boost for Keir Starmer’s government.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that the gap between the number of people moving to England and the number leaving is at its lowest level since 2021.

This continues to fall sharply from the record peak of 944,000 in 2023, down 48% annually from 331,000 in 2024.

The figures will encourage government ministers who have vowed to reduce the number of people moving to the UK. Immigration has become a key political battleground against the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reformation UK.

The number of citizens arriving from outside the EU for work-related reasons fell by 47% in 2025, the main reason for the continued decline in net migration. Over the same period, overall immigration fell slightly.

An estimated 813,000 people emigrated to the UK, while 642,000 emigrated. The ONS said the continuing decline in net migration was due to fewer people from outside the EU coming to the UK to work.

The ONS figures cover net migration figures for the 12 months to December 2025.

The Home Office will publish its own figures for the 12 months to March 2026 on Thursday.

Many people incorrectly believe net migration is rising in the UK despite figures falling to the lowest level in decades, a think tank has found. Research from British Future, published ahead of the latest government figures on immigration, has found a gap between reality and the public’s perception of net immigration; A significant portion of the public believed that net migration was increasing.