More EU citizens have left the United Kingdom recently than have moved to it. Net migration for people from EU countries is at its lowest level for four years at 101,000, the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed on Monday 16 July.
There was a 4% drop in the number of Europeans moving to the United Kingdom and a rise of almost 19% in those who left the country between 2016 and 2017.
In March 2013, the difference in the number of European citizens moving to the United Kingdom and those leaving was 95,000, according to official figures.
In 2017, 240,000, EU nationals moved to the United Kingdom, compared with 250,000 in 2016. At the same time, in 2017, 139,000 EU nationals left the UK “a record figure”, according to the ONS. In 2016, 117,000 left the country.
The departures were, however, offset by the arrival of non-EU nationals. Overall, UK net migration, which stood at 282,000 last year, is rising. The ONS says that the latest figures show that net migration “has continued to add to the British population. Net migration has fallen following record levels on 2015 and early 2016 and has been broadly stable since”. Taking back control of immigration by the United Kingdom was one of the arguments made by “Leave” supporters. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)