(MENAFN) Net migration to the UK last year was around 20% lower than previously reported, following revised figures showing a sharper decline in arrivals and a larger outflow of British citizens.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released the updated data Tuesday, following a major overhaul of the UK’s migration measurement system. Officials said most revisions stem from using labor records, which track British nationals more accurately than prior passenger surveys at ports and airports.

Under the new system, net migration for the year ending December 2024 was reduced from a provisional 431,000, published in May, to 345,000, a drop of about 20%. The figures also show that the UK’s recent migration peak was both higher and earlier than previously estimated, reaching 944,000 in the year ending March 2023, compared with the earlier 906,000 for year-end June 2023.

Overall net migration from December 2021 to December 2024 has been revised downward by around 97,000, even though total immigration was revised upward by 316,000. The adjustment reflects a substantial increase in estimated emigration, up by 413,000, with British nationals accounting for much of the shift. Updated methods indicate that far more UK citizens have been leaving the country than previously recorded, reducing British net migration over the period by 344,000.

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