(Bloomberg) -- Net migration to Britain from other European Union countries fell to its lowest level in almost a decade last year amid the escalating crisis over Brexit.
EU citizens arriving outnumbered those leaving by just 74,000, down from 99,000 in 2017 and the least for a calendar year since 2009, Office for National Statistics figures published Friday show. Net migration from non-EU countries was little changed at 232,000.
EU net migration has plunged by over 60% since Britain voted to leave the bloc in the June 2016 referendum. That may please Brexit supporters wanting stricter immigration controls, but businesses that rely on European workers complain they are struggling to fill vacancies.
The fall last year was driven by fewer European national arriving rather than more people leaving. EU states that joined the bloc since 2004 accounted for much of the decline in immigration.
With continuing strong inflows from outside the EU, however, the government remains a long from its target of cutting net migration to less than 100,000. Total net migration was 258,000 last year, down 27,000 from a year earlier.
Fewer people migrated to the U.K. for work-related reasons, and there was a drop in the number of EU citizens coming to study. But this was more than offset by an increase in student numbers from outside the EU.
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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