Net migration falls to 171,000 but asylum seekers continue to rise, new official data shows

By DAVID BARRETT, HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR Published: 09:41, 21 May 2026 | Updated: 09:51, 21 May 2026 Net migration to Britain fell to 171,000 last year, new official figures show. The Office for National Statistics said the figure - those coming to live here long-term minus those emigrating - nearly halved from the previous year's 331,000. It also said the number of people who came to Britain to claim asylum during the year was 88,000, up slightly on the previous year. The figures suggest 51 per cent of net migration was made up by asylum seekers. This is a breaking story. More follows...  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.