18 September 2021
We are publishing the latest dataset in a format that meets accessibility requirements. If you would like to view this data in the previous format please email pop.info@ons.gov.uk. More detail on accessibility in spreadsheets can be found in the Government Statistical Service (GSS) guidance.
The July 2019 to June 2020 edition of this dataset has been revised to include reweighted Annual Population Survey data for January 2020 to June 2020.
30 September 2021
Due to a calculation error in the method used to reweight the Labour Force Survey, which uses a three-month rolling average of RTI data, there is a lag of one month. Our analysis shows the impact on the population levels and headline labour market levels estimates is very small with the published headline labour market rates unchanged. The impact is that there is a slight overestimation of the non-UK population by approximately 0.5%. This represents less than half the size of the sampling variability. The size is roughly the same over the quarters of 2020 and the impact on January to December 2020 APS estimates is about 14,000 for EU born, 25,000 for non-EU born and 39,000 for non-UK born.
28 October 2022
On 27 October 2022, we published an update on the population of the UK by country of birth and nationality series.
Using Census 2021 data to measure the non-UK population (non-UK-born and non-British nationals)
On 2 November 2022, the first migration statistics from the Census 2021 for England and Wales will be published. This will be our best estimate of the population of England and Wales by country of birth and passports held.
While the census provides the best picture of society at a moment in time every ten years, there is a need for more timely and frequent statistics, that make the best use of all available data and enable us to understand our population and how it changes on an ongoing basis. We are exploring provisional measures that can roll forward the Census 2021 data to produce an even more up-to-date picture. We will provide an update on this in early 2023.
Discontinuing the population of the UK by country of birth and nationality series using the APS
Administrative data from HMRC (Migrant Worker Scan (MWS) linked to Pay As You Earn Real Time Information) recently used to weight the non-UK born population in the Annual Population Survey (APS) only provides information to June 2021 due to an underlying data issue with the MWS. Therefore, population growth for non-UK-born and non-British nationals from the APS beyond June 2021 will not represent real changes until the data issue with the MWS is fixed.
We are transforming the way we produce population and migration statistics to make best use of all available data. The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is also undergoing a transformation to make further improvements to labour market statistics to improve quality, granularity and timeliness.
As part of this transformation journey, we are reviewing the best methods to produce estimates of the UK population. Therefore, the population of the UK by country of birth and nationality series using the APS will be discontinued. This means the next release for year ending June 2022, scheduled for 24 November 2022, will not go ahead. Previous releases are not affected by this issue.
For more information on our plans for provisional measures and longer-term approaches, please see the published statement.
