The United Kingdom saw the sharpest increase in immigration among developed countries last year. New data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that 746,900 individuals moved to Britain in 2023 — a 52.9 percent surge from the previous year's total of 488,400. The dramatic increase, which has outpaced all other OECD countries, occurred under the Conservative government, although the trend is expected to continue with Labour's Keir Starmer in office,the international V4NA news agency writes.
The figures highlight that the UK experienced the second-highest raw number of arrivals, trailing only the United States, which recorded 1.2 million migrants. In comparison, South Korea’s growth, at 50.9 percent, saw just 87,100 arrivals. This significant influx follows a 110 percent rise in immigration to the UK since 2019, reflecting a growing trend in family-linked migration and work visas.
A key driver of the UK's immigration spike was family reunification, which climbed by 60 percent in 2023. This accounted for 70 percent of the rise in family-linked permits, largely tied to health and care worker visas. Policy shifts this year now prevent new care workers from bringing relatives, a move intended to curb numbers, but Brits are skeptical after experiencing all-time highs for consecutive years.
In addition, the UK issued more student visas than any other OECD country, with nearly 450 thousand granted in 2023. The OECD figures follow those published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this week, which showed that 7 million foreign-born workers are now employed in Britain, filling one in every five jobs.
London has the largest proportion of migrants across the United Kingdom, with 40 percent of its residents born abroad and millions more second and third-generation migrants. The most common countries of origin within Britain are India, Poland, Pakistan, Romania, and Ireland. Millions more, however, remain living in Britain without working and with access to taxpayer-funded benefits.
Cover photo: The United Kingdom sees staggering rise in migration (Photo: AFP)
