The UK population is now thought to be 97,000 lower
Revised figures show a sharp rise in the number of British nationals who left the UK in 2024. The Office for National Statistics said 257,000 people left, up from the previously estimated 77,000.
The shift follows a major overhaul of how the ONS measures migration. The agency now uses data from public authorities instead of small passenger surveys.
The previous system relied on the International Passenger Survey. The ONS said it had a limited sample size and had been “stretched beyond its original purpose”.
The new method uses Department for Work and Pensions data, which includes everyone with a National Insurance number. Officials said it gives a more accurate view of who is moving in and out of the UK.
It means the number of British nationals leaving the UK in the year to December 2024 was far higher than believed. The previous estimate was 77,000. The updated figure is 257,000.
The number of British nationals returning to the UK also rose. The data shows 143,000 people returned, up from 60,000.
The UK population is now thought to be 97,000 lower than earlier estimates.
The ONS tracks legal migration and some irregular migration. It said non-EU migration has been the main driver of immigration. Work, study and humanitarian routes linked to wars such as Ukraine played key roles.
The new figures also revise the peak of net migration. The ONS said net migration reached 944,000 in the year ending March 2023. The earlier peak was 906,000 for the year ending June 2023.
Net migration then fell more sharply than first reported. The figure for the year ending December 2024 is now 345,000. The earlier estimate was 431,000.
The figures come as the immigration debate intensifies. Shabana Mahmood has announced the biggest changes to the system since the Second World War.
Mahmood said the number of illegal immigrants in the UK was “too high” and that she was “horrified” by the 27% increase in irregular arrivals in the year to June.
On November 17, Mahmood revealed new plans targeting what she described as “pull factors”.
She said these included the “excessive generosity” of the asylum system.
Under the new approach, families with children will be removed. Some will leave voluntarily through cash incentives of up to £3,000. Others will be removed by force.
The time successful asylum seekers must wait for permanent residency will rise from five years to 20.
The government will also remove its duty to provide financial support to asylum seekers. Those with the right to work but who choose not to will receive no support.
A new appeals body will speed up decisions on asylum refusals.
Visas will be blocked for countries refusing to accept deportees. New safe and legal routes will also be created.
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