Domesday Live

How many people come to live in the UK?

Hundreds of thousands of people arrive to live in the UK each year, and hundreds of thousands leave. Net migration, the difference, peaked at over 900,000 in the year to March 2023 and has fallen sharply since, as work and study visa rules were tightened and more people left. The latest figures are below.

Why it happens

• Most arrivals come on visas for work or study. Skilled workers, health and care workers and students make up most of those arriving, plus family members and people on humanitarian schemes.
• Asylum is a small part of the total. People claiming asylum are a small share compared with those arriving on visas, though they get the most attention, especially small boat arrivals.
• Net migration is arrivals minus departures. Many people who come to study or work leave after a few years, so what matters for population growth is the gap between those arriving and leaving.
• The rules drive the numbers. The peak followed the opening of new visa routes after Brexit and for Ukraine and Hong Kong. Tightening them cut applications.