Despite a sharp drop in the United Kingdom’s overall net migration, no fewer than 52,000 Nigerians moved to the country in 2024, according to fresh data released by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday.
The figure places Nigeria among the top sources of non-EU+ migration to the UK, alongside India, Pakistan, and China.
According to the ONS, total net migration to the UK for the year ended December 2024 was estimated at 431,000 — nearly half of the 860,000 recorded the previous year.
Breakdown of the Nigerian migration data shows that 27,000 individuals relocated to the UK on work-related visas, 22,000 on study visas, while 3,000 entered under other immigration categories.
“For the year ending December 2024, Indian nationals were the most common non-EU+ immigrants,” the ONS stated, noting that work and study remained the primary reasons for migration among nationals of India, Pakistan, and Nigeria.
The report also revealed demographic insights: 83 percent of non-EU+ migrants were between the ages of 16 and 64, with a near-even gender split — 52 percent male and 48 percent female. Children under 16 accounted for 16 percent, while only one percent were aged 65 and above.
Although the number of Nigerian arrivals remained high, the report highlighted an overall drop in UK immigration figures, driven by fewer entries on work and study grounds and increased emigration.
Significantly, work-related migration among main applicants dropped by 108,000, representing a 49 percent decline from the previous year. Study-related migration fell by 17 percent, while dependent study visa numbers plunged by 86 percent — the steepest drop across all categories.
The ONS attributed the trend partly to the return of many post-COVID immigrants who initially came on study visas.
