Approximately 52,000 Nigerians moved to the United Kingdom in 2024, according to newly released statistics from the UK Office for National Statistics on Thursday, ranking Nigeria among the top sources of non-EU+ migration during the year.
The surge came despite a dramatic fall in overall net migration to the UK, which dropped by about “50 percent in the year ending December 2024.”
The ONS estimates net migration at “431,000, down from 860,000 in the previous year.”
Most Nigerian migrants arrived in the UK for work or study purposes. Of the total, 27,000 came on work-related visas, 22,000 on study visas, and the remaining 3,000 under other immigration categories.
Nigeria joins India, Pakistan, and China as one of the leading contributors to non-EU+ migration to the UK.
“For the year ending December 2024, Indian nationals were the most common non-EU+ immigrants.
“Work and study-related immigration were the primary reasons for migration among Indian, Pakistani, and Nigerian nationals,” the ONS report stated.
The research also stated that 83 percent of non-EU+ migrants were of working age (16-64 years), with 52 percent male and 48 percent female.
Children under the age of 16 constituted 16% of migrants, with only 1% over the age of 65.
While immigration from Nigeria remained significant, the overall decline in migration was attributed to fewer arrivals on work and study visas, particularly from non-EU+ countries, and increased emigration.
