International Migration

Census 2011

The latest Census provided a snapshot of the Somerset population at 27th March 2011, including details of country of origin and year of arrival in the UK.

The results show that 31,761 Somerset residents on Census Day had been born outside the UK. The most concentrated influx of overseas nationals occurred in the years immediately following the accession to the EU of eight Eastern European states.. The years of arrival of non-UK born residents are shown in the chart below.

The most common country of origin outside the UK is Poland, with 5,287.

For more details of ethnicity and national identity, please visit the Census section of the website.

Annual Migration

While the Census provides very useful data, they relate only to a snapshot in time. People constantly move in and out of the country, to live, work and/or study. Each year, the ONS publishes mid-year estimates (MYEs) of population for each local authority. The dataset includes a breakdown of the figures by 'components of change', principally natural change (births minus deaths), internal migration (within the UK) and international migration (to and from other countries).

For the year 2015-16, there were an estimated 2,659 people moving to Somerset from abroad and 2,373 migrating overseas from Somerset, resulting in a net inward migration of 286. This was the lowest net figure since 2009.

National Insurance Numbers (NINos)

In addition to the ONS Mid-Year Estimates, the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) also maintains records of National Insurance numbers (NINos) allocated to adult overseas nationals entering the UK and registering for work.

For details of NINos for all parts of the UK, please go to the DWP website. The headlines for Somerset are as follows:-

• In the ten years to 2016, almost 29,000 National Insurance numbers were allocated to adult foreign nationals in Somerset. However, since registration, many may have moved away or abroad.
• Registrations peaked at 3,688 in 2007 following the arrival of migrants from the EU Accession States of eastern Europe, notably Poland.
• After falling to around 2,000 in 2012, numbers rose again after restrictions on Romanian and Bulgarian migrants were lifted in 2014. In 2015, Romania overtook Poland as the country from which the most NINo claimants arrived.
• While there were more NINo registrations in South Somerset than any other district within the county, the greatest number as a proportion of the working age population was in West Somerset.

Annual trends in NINO registrations in Somerset are shown below:- 

Annual Trends in NINo registrations in each district of Somerset are shown below:-

Recent trends in NINo registrations in Somerset for the three most common countries of origin are shown below:- 

Source for all charts: Dept of Work and Pensions Stat-Xplore

NINo registrations as a proportion of the population are compared below:-

Source: ONS and Dept of Work and Pensions

GP Registrations ('Flag 4')

Another means of identifying the arrival of international migrants is by means of a NHS Flag 4 record, The Patient Register Data Service (PRDS) generates what is called a Flag 4 when an individual born outside the UK enters England and Wales for the first time and registers with an NHS GP or if the previous address of an individual is reported as outside the UK.

The numbers will not match those registering for a NINo because:-

• GP registration is not compulsory. There may also be a time lag between the migration event and actual registration.
• It is known that registration patterns vary by sex and age group. Therefore, the usefulness of these data as an indicator of migration is limited by some groups being less likely to register with a GP than others. For example, young men are less likely to register with a GP than other groups, and these are the types of people more likely to come to England for work.

The headlines for Somerset are as follows:-

• The number of Flag 4 GP registrations for Somerset  in the year ending June 2016 was 3,824, the highest recorded in a year so far. Annual numbers do not fluctuate as much as those for NINo registrations.
• As proportions of the population, Flag 4 GP registrations in each of the five districts are below the national average (see table below)

Source: ONS and Patient Register Data Service

Births to Mothers born Outside the UK

Birth statistics for England and Wales are based on the details collected when births are registered. By law, births should be registered within 42 days. The country of birth, rather than ethnicity, is routinely collected at the time of registration.

The headlines for Somerset are as follows:

• In 2016, one in seven births in Somerset were to mothers born outside the UK. Nationally this proportion was one in four.
• The number of live births to non-UK born mothers in Somerset declined in 2016 following a decade of successive year-on-year increases.
• In 2016 the highest percentage in Somerset was in Taunton Deane (16.5%); the lowest in West Somerset (6.0%)
• The rates in each of the five Somerset districts are below the averages for the South West region and England (17.0% and 28.2%, respectively)

Total live births in Somerset to mothers born in and outside the UK:-

Source: Office for National Statistics

Further Information:

• The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes an annual dataset featuring a number of Local Area Migration Indicators. This allows comparison of Local Authority and Regional data over time.

See also:

• Internal Migration