Latest Figures Show Net Migration is Lower than First Thought

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has updated its estimated figures, now stating that approximately 257,000 British citizens left the UK in the year ending December 2024. This is more than three times the previous estimate of 77,000. At the same time, approximately 143,000 Britons returned.

The change isn’t because a lot of people suddenly left overnight; it’s because of how they are counted. Statisticians are no longer using the old International Passenger Survey, which was a survey of travellers at airports and ports. Instead, they are using administrative records, such as tax and Department for Work and Pensions data, linked to National Insurance numbers. That makes it much clearer who has left for the long term.

As a result of the new figures, the entire migration picture changes considerably. The UK population is now thought to be about 97,000, smaller than earlier estimates suggested. Net migration is believed to have peaked at approximately 944,000 in early 2023 and then declined more rapidly than previously reported, to around 345,000 by the end of 2024.

The new data comes amid a significant change to the UK’s asylum and return policy, published on 17 November 2025.