Net migration to Scotland more than doubled between 2021 and 2022, reaching the highest level in a decade, according to newly released figures. In the year ending June 2022, net migration into Scotland was 48,800, up from 22,200 the previous year.
The National Records of Scotland (NRS), which published the figures, attributed the rise to higher levels of international migration to cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh. "This increase is likely the result of a substantial rise in the number of international students studying at universities in Scotland," said Esther Roughsedge, NRS head of population and migration statistics. The origins of international students have changed significantly in recent years, with a sharp increase in those coming from non-European Union countries and a decrease in those from EU countries since Brexit. Notably, the number of students from China saw the highest increase, rising from 9.5 per 1,000 in 2017/18 to 20.8 per 1,000 in 2021/22.
The NRS figures show that 36,300 more people moved to Scotland from outside the UK than left during 2021-2022, compared with 13,300 the previous year. Net migration to Scotland from the rest of the UK also rose to 12,500, up from 8,900 the previous year.
Data from the Office for National Statistics for the whole of the UK shows a net migration figure of 685,000 for 2023, including asylum seekers. The estimates for 2023 indicate that 11% of migrants were from EU countries, 82% were from non-EU countries, and the remaining 7% were British nationals moving to the UK. Similarly to Scotland, the majority of migrants from non-EU countries came to the UK for study, with 423,000 arriving for that purpose.