Net migration to the United Kingdom has fallen by nearly 50 percent in the 12 months to December 2025, reaching 171,000, according to official statistics released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Image: BBC
The figures mark a sharp decline from 331,000 recorded at the end of 2024 and represent the lowest level since early 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, the agency said.
The ONS reported that the fall was largely driven by a 47 percent drop in non-EU nationals arriving for work-related reasons in 2025.
The decline comes after tighter immigration rules introduced in recent years, including higher salary thresholds and restrictions on family visas for work permit holders.
Despite the reduction in legal migration, authorities noted that irregular migration across the English Channel remains a concern, with more than 200,000 migrants having arrived in small boats since records began in 2018.
Official data also showed that 41,472 migrants reached England’s southern coast in 2024 after crossing from northern France.
The issue of immigration has become a major political debate in the UK, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer facing growing pressure as public concern rises and the topic continues to influence local and national elections.
