813,000 people arrived. Net migration was 171,000. Both numbers are true.
813,000 people arrived in the UK long-term last year. Net migration was 171,000. Both are true — one counts arrivals, the other counts arrivals minus departures.
The claim
Net migration of 171,000 means only 171,000 people came to the UK.
What is true
Net migration really has fallen sharply and repeatedly — more than halved twice since a 2022 peak of 891,000 — a genuine, large change in the same direction the headline claim describes.
Put it in scale
813,000
Arrived
People moving to the UK for 12 months or more — more arrivals than in any year before 2021.
642,000
Left
Includes returning migrants and British citizens leaving, not only foreign nationals.
171k
Net migration
The difference between the two figures above — not a count of arrivals, and can fall because more people leave as well as because fewer arrive.
What we know / don’t know
How many of the 813,000 arrivals came for asylum specifically, versus work, study or family?
ONS publishes long-term migration by broad reason (work, study, family, asylum/other) separately from this headline gross/net split — see /immigration for that breakdown rather than assuming this card's figures split by route.
The verdict
A falling net migration figure does not mean fewer people are arriving — it can mean more people are also leaving.
Every number on this card
| Figure | What it counts | Geography · period | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 813,000 | Long-term arrivals (immigration)People moving to the UK for 12 months or more — more arrivals than in any year before 2021. | United Kingdom · Year ending December 2025 | KNOWN | ONS, Long-term international migration, provisional (YE Dec 2025 edition, Table 1) |
| 642,000 | Long-term departures (emigration)Includes returning migrants and British citizens leaving, not only foreign nationals. | United Kingdom · Year ending December 2025 | KNOWN | ONS, Long-term international migration, provisional (YE Dec 2025 edition, Table 1) |
| 171k | Net migration (the headline figure)The difference between the two figures above — not a count of arrivals, and can fall because more people leave as well as because fewer arrive. | United Kingdom · YE Dec 2025 | CALCULATED | ONS Long-term international migration, provisional |
- Detected irregular (illegal-route) arrivals are a separate Home Office series, not a slice of these ONS figures, and cannot be added to or subtracted from them.
- All three headline figures are provisional and subject to revision.
Verified against primary sources: 2026-08-31.