UK net migration halves after huge drop in non-EU arrivals

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The future of the state pension is in doubt as today's UK net migration figures expose a "demographic drag" to the retirement system going forward, analysts warn.Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that net migration to the United Kingdom has fallen by nearly half, reaching 171,000 in the year ending December 2025.The statistics body confirmed this represents a 48 per cent decline compared to the previous year, marking the lowest level recorded since the beginning of 2021.However, economists have warned that falling net migration will result in fewer working-age people contributing to the economy, while increasing the number of retirees.Without significant reform, analysts have claimed the long-term sustainability of the state pension is in question, with the triple lock being a particular point of contention.Thanks to the triple lock-uprate mechanism, state pension payment rates rise every year by the highest of either inflation, average wage growth, or 2.5...

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UK net migration has halved after a huge drop in non-EU arrivals.It was an estimated 171,000 in the 12 months to December 2025.The figure is down 48 per cent year-on-year, the Office for National Statistics said, to the lowest level since early 2021.Net migration, the difference between the number of people moving long-term to the country and the number of people leaving, has been falling for much of the past three years.

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TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The total peaked at a record 944,000 in the year to March 2023 but has since dropped sharply, reaching 204,000 in the year to June 2025.New estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), released today, cover the 12 months to December 2025 and show an even lower figure.The fall in net migration is being driven by two trends.A steady decline in people from outside the EU coming to the UK to work, study or join other family members, and a rise in the number of people leaving the UK for other countries, primarily non-EU...

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