Key Indicators
Net Migration
The headline numbers: how many people are moving to and from the UK, and the balance between them - the statistic every recent government has promised to bring down, and the one that has moved most dramatically.
Annual Net Migration
UK net migration fell to 171,000 in 2025, down from 891,000 in 2022 and a peak of 944,000 in the year to March 2023, after visa rules were tightened. Figures for every year come from the ONS's latest estimates, which revise earlier years.
Immigration vs Emigration
In 2025, about 813,000 people moved to the UK long term and 642,000 left, according to the ONS. Immigration has fallen 44% since 2023, which is the main reason net migration has dropped.
Small Boat Channel Crossings
The most politically charged route into the UK, even though it represents a small share of total migration. These charts show the scale, the seasonality and who is actually making the crossing.
Monthly Small Boat Crossings
33,374 people crossed the Channel in small boats in the year to June 2026. There were 41,472 crossings in 2025, the second-highest year on record after 45,774 in 2022. The chart runs to June 2026, the latest month covered by official statistics.
Small Boat Arrivals by Nationality
Since 2018, Iranians and Afghans have made up the largest share of small boat arrivals. In 2025 Eritreans were the most common nationality, with 7,583 arrivals, more than double the year before. Albanian arrivals fell from 12,658 in 2022 to 264 in 2025.
Visa Grants
Legal routes dwarf irregular ones: work and study visas are where the big migration numbers are made - and where policy changes bite fastest.
Work, Study & Family Visas
Visas granted for work, study and family, including dependants. Work visas fell to 235,000 in the year to June 2026, down 62% from the 2023 peak, after rules on salaries and dependants were tightened. Study visas were 386,000.
Visa Breakdown
The share of visas granted for work, study and family. These legal routes account for far more arrivals than small boats.
Asylum System
Applications, decisions and the backlog between them: the machinery whose delays and hotel bills have made asylum processing a political issue in its own right.
Asylum Applications
85,891 people claimed asylum in the year to June 2026, 21% fewer than the year before. Claims peaked at 109,662 in the year to September 2025.
Asylum Grant Rate
The initial grant rate was 38% in the year to June 2026, down from 48% a year earlier and a peak of 77% in the year to September 2022. Many refusals are later overturned on appeal.
Asylum Applications, Decisions & Grant Rates
| Nationality | Region | Applications | Decisions | Grant Rate |
|---|
The Home Office made initial decisions on 115,872 people in the year to June 2026, 2% more than the year before. Claims and decisions count people including dependants; grant rates count main applicants only, as the Home Office publishes them.
About this data
Net migration estimates come from the Office for National Statistics; small boat crossings, visa grants and asylum figures come from the Home Office's official statistical releases. Most series update quarterly on pre-announced dates, with small boats data published more frequently.
Migration statistics deserve more caution than most: net migration estimates are provisional and often revised by large amounts, small boats figures count one specific route rather than all irregular migration, and asylum grant rates shift with the nationality mix of applicants. The charts show the best official picture, but the newest data points are always the least settled.
Frequently asked questions
What is UK net migration?
Net migration is immigration minus emigration. It fell to 171,000 in 2025, down from a record 944,000 in the year to March 2023, after visa rules were tightened.
How many people cross the Channel in small boats?
33,374 people crossed the Channel in small boats in the year to June 2026. There were 41,472 crossings in 2025, the second-highest year on record after 45,774 in 2022.
What is the UK asylum grant rate?
In the year to June 2026, 38% of asylum claims that received an initial decision were granted protection or other leave, down from a peak of 77% in the year to September 2022. Many initial refusals are later overturned on appeal.
What is net migration?
Net migration is the number of people moving to the UK for at least a year minus the number leaving. A positive figure means the population is growing through migration. It is estimated by the Office for National Statistics and published twice a year.
How accurate are net migration figures?
Net migration figures are estimates, initially published as provisional and frequently revised - sometimes by large amounts - as fuller administrative data becomes available. The most recent periods on the chart are therefore the least certain.
What counts as a small boat crossing?
The Home Office counts people detected arriving in the UK after crossing the English Channel in small boats. The figures cover that specific route only, and are strongly seasonal, with more crossings in calm summer months.
What is the asylum backlog?
The backlog is the number of asylum applications still waiting for an initial decision from the Home Office. It matters because applicants generally cannot work while they wait and must be housed and supported, so a larger, slower queue increases both costs and pressure on the system.
Where does the immigration data on this page come from?
Net migration estimates come from the Office for National Statistics, while small boat crossings, visa grants and asylum figures come from the Home Office's official statistical releases. The page is updated by hand after each new release.