Migration to the UK has significantly dropped in the past year, with a notable decrease in the number of individuals entering the country. According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), net migration for the year ending December 2025 was estimated at 171,000, marking a substantial 48% decline from the previous year’s 331,000.

The decline in net migration is attributed not only to a reduction in emigration but also to a decrease in the influx of asylum seekers to the UK. Net migration is calculated as the variance between the number of long-term entrants to the UK and those leaving the country.

In the period ending June, approximately 813,000 people immigrated to the UK, while 642,000 emigrated. The ongoing decrease in net migration is primarily influenced by a reduction in non-EU nationals arriving in the UK for employment purposes, as stated by the ONS.

Furthermore, the latest ONS figures highlight a notable decrease in the number of asylum seekers, dropping to 20,885 in the year leading to March 2026, representing a decrease of around 12%. This figure is nearly 10,000 lower compared to the previous period until December 2025, with the highest recorded number of claims during the previous Conservative government in September 2023 at 56,000.

These statistics are being viewed as a significant achievement for the Labour Party, which has aimed to decrease immigration since taking office in 2024.