International migration hits new high in 2022 but there are signs of change

Image of queues at UK border terminal

International migration hits new high in 2022 but there are signs of change

International immigration to the UK hit record levels in 2022, driven by unprecedented world events and the rise in international students following the lifting of pandemic restrictions. Aligned to a period where a new immigration system had recently been introduced, Jay Lindop explains what we have been doing at the ONS to provide users with the best possible migration figures and how these feed into our future model for population statistics.

Collaborating to make the UK statistical system more inclusive

Categories: Data, Inclusion, Integrated Data Service
Crowds of people walking through the streets of London

Today the ONS has published its first annual review looking at the progress that’s been made in the past year towards making the UK statistical system more inclusive. Debra Prestwood updates us on what’s been achieved so far, as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

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Beyond GDP: what matters to national well-being

Categories: ONS
A group of people looking happy, they have their arms around each other and are in a park type setting with sunlight behind them

Today the ONS has published its latest insights from our Measures of National Well-being dashboard. This forms part of the ONS’s plans to move beyond traditional economic metrics to measure the impact of growth on people and the natural environment. As part of this agenda, Hugh Stickland writes about plans to develop our measures of national wellbeing.  

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What the UK government owns and what it owes

Categories: ONS

For decades, one of the main fiscal targets of the Government has been to reduce the level of public sector debt. This covers not just central government but also local councils and state-controlled companies. Debt estimates are presented every month in the public sector balance sheet, which shows the financial position at a single point in time. The balance sheet sets out the liabilities (amounts owed) and the assets (amounts owned), in line with international statistical guidance. However, there are several different balance sheet measures, some broader in scope than others. How do they differ?

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Transforming R&D statistics on Government-funded research & development

Categories: Business, Data, Economy, Office for National Statistics, ONS
Antibody testing

We have already blogged about how the UK’s statistics on research and development (R&D) are the subject of a programme of fundamental transformation. We are improving our main survey to capture a much wider group of businesses to better reflect the true extent of R&D undertaken in the UK. Now we also improving our measurement of R&D undertaken by the UK government and its agencies. Heather Bovill talks about how we are improving these estimates of what R&D the government is paying for and, importantly, where it is taking place.

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