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On 26th November ONS published research on transforming  population and migration statistics, based on  their approach to make best use of all available data to produce the best possible statistics at a point in time.  This includes an update on their recent progress in this transformation journey, summarising and signposting the detailed research. The Centre for International Migration is publishing an overview of how ONS intends to integrate admin data with statistical modelling to produce coherent international migration estimates. They are also sharing further research which develops our understanding of  admin-based population estimates (ABPEs) for England and Wales in more depth, including their first time series, as well as research into how the student population appears in administrative data.

New figures suggest that although net international migration to the UK fell in 2020, there is no evidence of an exodus. Jay Lindop explains what can be interpreted from today’s experimental statistics, why they shouldn’t be compared to population figures and ongoing improvements to build and refine them.

Today the Centre for International Migration has published our best estimates of long-term international migration in 2020, as well as the population of the UK by country of birth and nationality for the year to June 2021. Alongside these releases, we have published a blog explaining the differences between these two sets of statistics, and when you should and shouldn’t compare them.

The census is one of the most important sources of data and statistics that can help answer some of the most pressing questions facing society today. The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has now published its assessment of Census 2021 highlighting the successful collection operation and what still needs to be done for the results to gain National Statistics accreditation.  

The pandemic has highlighted the need for more frequent data about our population to understand the biggest challenges facing society. The ONS has been making great strides bringing together new sources of information to build the richest picture possible. As Pete Benton explains, this week we are publishing the improvements we have made, the limitations in the estimates, and our ambitions to refine the work in 2022.