Net migration to the UK has dropped below 200,000 to the lowest point since the Covid pandemic, driven by fewer people coming to Britain for work, new figures show.
Sharp decline from peak
The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures reveal that, in the 12 months to December 2025, net migration — the number of people entering the country minus those leaving each year — was an estimated 171,000. This marks a significant decline from the peak of 944,000 recorded in 2023, with the drop largely attributed to fewer arrivals for work or study.
Excluding the Covid pandemic period, when international travel was halted worldwide, the last time net migration to the UK was this low was in 2012. For context, net migration stood at 193,000 in the year to March 2018 and 157,000 in the year to September 2012. During the pandemic, estimates crashed to around 35,000.
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