The chart gives information about UK immigration, emigration and net migration between 1999 and 2008. Units are measured in thousands.
Overall, both immigration and emigration rates rose over the period given however the figure of immigration was significantly higher. There is an upward trend in net migration and it peaked in 2004 and 2007. The rise in immigration from 1999 to 2004 was stark compared to the modest increase in emigration.
In 1999, around 450,000 people came to live in the UK, while the number of people who emigrated stood at just over 300,000. The figure for net migration was around 160,000. From 1999 to 2008, the level of immigration rose by nearly 150,000 people, but there was a slight rise in emigration, around 20,000 people. Net migration reached a peak at just about 250,000 people in 2004.
After 2004, although the number of people emigrating fluctuated, the number of immigration remained high. Emigration fell down dramatically in 2007, before peaking up significantly at about 420,000 people in 2008. Furthermore, the net migration decreased slightly until 2007, and reached around 150,000 people in 2008.