Net migration to UK plummets further – but the public still thinks it’s going up

The government has been working to bring down figures since the post-Brexit spike (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

New statistics from the Home Office show net migration to the UK over the past year fell to one of the lowest levels since the start of this century.

In the year to March 2026, 171,000 more people arrived to stay in the UK than left – a fall of almost half from the year before.

This means the figure – which shows how much the country’s population has grown from migration – has returned to the levels seen before a new system introduced post-Brexit led to the so-called ‘Boriswave’.

However, polling suggests the British public incorrectly believes there has been no decline and net migration has in fact shot up.

Think tank British Future found that only 16% of people think migration fell in the past year, while 49% believe it increased.

Net migration reached a peak in 2023, when 944,000 more people arrived than left.

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This number was driven by changes to the immigration system brought in by Boris Johnson’s government after Brexit, which led to a large number of non-EU nationals coming to the UK.

Subsequent ministers, including current Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and her predecessor Yvette Cooper, have brought in measures to bring the numbers back down.

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Responding to today’s statistics, Mahmood said: ‘Net migration has fallen by 82% in just three years.

‘We will always welcome those who contribute to this country and wish to build a better life here. But we must restore order and control to our borders.

‘As these statistics show, real progress has been made, but there is still work to do.’

She said she was bringing in a ‘skills-based migration system that rewards contribution’, which aims to end the UK’s ‘reliance on cheap overseas workers’.

However, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said today’s figures show ‘non-EU immigration remains far too high’ while Brits are leaving ‘on a massive scale’.

He said: ‘Mass immigration undermines our society and low wage immigration is bad for the economy.

‘British families feel it in lower wages, longer waiting lists for public services and housing shortages.’

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