Net migration has fallen sharply in the UK, the latest official figures have shown.
The data, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), estimates that net migration has halved from 860,000 in the year ending December 2023 to 431,000 in the year ending December 2024.
The drop is the largest ever recorded for a 12-month period, and marks the most significant calendar-year fall in net migration since the early stages of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, long-term immigration fell below one million for the first time in around three years.
That was estimated to be 948,000 in the year ending December 2024, down by almost a third from 1,326,000 in the previous 12 months and below a million for the first time since the 12 months to March 2022.
Emigration rose by around 11% to an estimated 517,000 for the year to December, up from 466,000 in the previous year.
Net migration hit a record high of 906,000 in June 2023, and stood at 728,000 in the year to June 2024, shortly before Labour took over from the previous Conservative government.
The sharp fall reported on Thursday is thought to be driven by a decrease in immigration from non-European Union nationals.
The ONS also noted falling numbers of people coming to work and study in the UK.
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