FOI Ref: FOI/2021/3285
You asked
Please supply how the Office for National Statisitics gathers the figures for immigration / emigration, incl to / from EU as opposed to other countries.
We said
Thank you for your Freedom of Information request asking how the Office for National Statistics gather the figures for immigration/emigration, including to/from EU as opposed to other countries.
Traditionally, the International Passenger Survey (IPS) was the main source for estimating international migration to and from the UK. However, in March 2020, the IPS was suspended because of the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In response, we have accelerated our work to transform how migration is measured and are moving towards producing administrative data-based migration estimates, supported by statistical modelling.
On 25 November 2021 we released our latest official estimates of international migration for the year ending December 2020. As they are derived from statistical modelling they entail a level of uncertainty and are therefore badged as experimental. You can read more on how the modelled estimates are produced in the measuring the data section of our latest release.
Migration statistics are measured differently in other countries; for more information see how other countries define and measure international migration. The developments we are making to our statistics is important as it will allow us to provide a coherent set of statistics that are timely and provide the level of granularity and insight that our users need. We are engaging with other National Statistical Institutes (NSIs) across the UK and internationally to share experiences and seek feedback on our plans.
Please do not hesitate to contact us directly on pop.info@ons.gov.uk if you require anything further.