Population

More than just numbers: How ONS connects with users of population statistics

Categories: Census, Office for National Statistics, ONS, Population
A group of people next to the River Thames

Without high-quality population statistics, making good decisions on resource allocation and proper planning for public services is almost impossible.  But we know that producing statistics that are robust and reliable relies on us truly understanding the needs of people using them, and responding to those needs. Rich Pereira explains how we engage with our users to do this.

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Global journeys: estimating international migration

Categories: Data, migration, ONS, Population

Migration is one of the most talked about issues in the UK today—and at the ONS, our job is to measure it. In our next Bringing Data to Life webinar, taking place on Tuesday 22 July from 4pm to 5pm, we’ll take you behind the numbers to show exactly how we estimate international migration, what the latest data are telling us, and why the figures sometimes change.  

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The potential future direction of local population change: the power of variant projections

Categories: Census, Education, Housing, ONS, Population

The Office for National Statistics produces subnational population projections (SNPPs) to give users an indication of the potential future population size of English local authorities and health geographies. Today we’ve released our 2022-based SNPPs which will be widely used in planning, for example, health, education and housing. We don’t know exactly what will happen in a local area in 10- or 20-years’ time, so offer a range of scenarios, or variants, so decision makers can use the right projection for their needs. In today’s bulletin, we focus on the ‘migration category variant’. James Robards explains what this is and why we’re using this approach.

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The Nation in Numbers: How we count the population

Categories: Data, ONS, Population

Population statistics aren’t just about counting people—they’re about understanding the nature of our society and its needs.  But how are these figures created, and what makes them reliable? 

In our next Bringing Data to Life webinar, taking place on Tuesday 24 June from 4pm to 5pm, we’re taking a closer look at these fundamental statistics. From measuring today’s population to modelling tomorrow’s needs, this session introduces the people, methods and data that underpin key decisions across the UK. 

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What’s driving the fall in net migration?

Categories: migration, ONS, Population
Arrivals to a UK airport at border control

Following policy changes, there was a record fall in net migration in 2024. With fewer people arriving on work and study-related visas and emigration returning to pre-pandemic levels, net migration is at the lowest level seen since 2021. Mary Gregory looks in more detail at the latest estimates and considers the impact of falling migration on wider ONS statistics.

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