Net migration into the UK has dropped by almost half, falling to the lowest level since 2021.
Official figures from the Office for National Statistics released on Thursday showed that net migration fell by 48% to 171,100 in 2025.
This is comparable with pre-Covid levels of migration, and outside of the pandemic these are the lowest figures since 2012.
After a peak of 944,000 in the year to March 2023, net migration has fallen rapidly.
The data has also shown that the number of people claiming asylum in the UK in the year to March fell by 12%, while the number of asylum seekers in hotels is down by a third.
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During the year between April 2025 and March 2026, 93,525 people claimed asylum in the UK, more than double the level seen before the pandemic.
The number of asylum seekers living in hotels while waiting for their claims to be processed fell to 20,885 in the 12 months to March 2026, down from 30,657.
In a post on X, home secretary Shabana Mahmood said the migration figures showed Labour is “restoring order and control to our borders”.
She added: “Net migration down 82%. Net migration is now at 171,000, down from a high of 944,000 under the Conservatives.”
The ONS has said the fall in net migration has been driven by fewer people arriving from outside EU.
Sarah Crofts, deputy director of the ONS, said: “The recent decrease is driven by fewer people arriving from outside the EU, particularly for work.”
Crofts adds that while the number of people leaving the UK – emigration – had been increasing, “there are early signs it may now be starting to fall, though it is too soon to say whether this will continue”.
Here’s a breakdown of the net migration figures:
Emigration: 278,000 non-EU+ nationals left the UK, just over half of these originally arrived with study-related visas; 118,000 EU+ nationals left the UK (down by 24% from the year before); 246,000 British nationals left the UK, a slight decline of 4% from the 2024 estimates.
Immigration: 627,000 non-EU+ nationals (provisional estimates), down from 780,000 the year before; 76,000 EU+ nationals arrived in the UK, a slight fall from the previous year; 110,000 British national arrivals into the UK, down from 140,000 the previous year.