Migration into the UK since 2000: temporal trends and spatial patterns

Sam Scott and Lucy Clarke explore the data covering more recent migration to the United Kingdom, most especially from the EU. They discover that since 2000 migrant destinations have changed. No longer do migrants head exclusively to the big cities and industrial areas, but to rural areas, like Boston in Lincolnshire, where there is plenty of work to be had in the agricultural and food sectors of the economy.

There is an overall global trend towards rising international migration. According to the IOM (International Organisation for Migration) there were 258 million international migrants globally in 2017, up from 102 million in 1980. An international migrant, as defined by the UN, is someone who changes their country of usual residence for a period of at least a year, so that the country of destination becomes the country of usual residence. On top of this there are many short-term migrant workers moving countries on a temporary basis (who may not fall within the UN 12 month definition). In the UK, the last time more people left than entered the country in a given year was 1993, and since then we have seen over a quarter-century of positive net migration. This represents an unprecedented period in UK history. That the UK has become an attractive destination country is something to celebrate: one would have cause for concern were people leaving the country en masse...