Index
This topic area covers statistics and information relating to migrants in Hull and the Yorkshire and Humber region including refugees and asylum seekers. Further information relating to Race and Ethnicity is given under Population.
This page contains information from the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities’ Fingertips. Information is taken ‘live’ from the site so uses the latest available data from Fingertips and displays it on this page. As a result, some comments on this page may relate to an earlier period of time until this page is next updated (see review dates at the end of this page).
Headlines
- There is no single definition of migrants and often different information is recorded which makes it difficult to quantify the number of migrants and examine their health needs.
- The dictionary definition of a migrant is a person who moves from one place to another, especially in order to find work or better living conditions, and a refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or national disaster. An asylum-seeker is someone who is seeking international protection who has left their home country as a political refugee and is seeking asylum in another country. Only asylum-seekers who are granted refugee status are allowed to work in the country.
- In terms of defining migrants within health and other datasets, migrants are often defined as foreign-born, by foreign nationality or duration of stay, but none of these truly fulfil the definition a ‘migrant’, but are simply a consequence of the information captured within specific datasets.
- At the time of the 2021 Census, 34,963 of Hull’s residents were foreign-born representing 13.1% of all Hull residents mainly born in Ireland or Europe (8.5%) with smaller percentages from the Middle East and Asia (2.8%) and Africa (1.5%). However, there were large differences by age with 3.4% of Hull residents aged 65+ years being foreign-born compared to 23.0% among those aged 35-49 years.
- Over four in ten (43%) of Hull residents who had not been born in the UK, had moved to the UK prior to 2011 (15,058 residents in total). The remaining 19,906 residents had moved to the UK in the last decade between 2011 and 2021.
- Of Hull residents who were foreign-born, 44% had been in the UK for more than 10 years, 25% for five years or more but less than ten years, 17% for two years or more but less than five years, and 14% had been in the UK for less than two years. Half of people who were aged 0-15 years when they first arrived in the UK had been in the UK for 10 or more years, but the percentage was lower with older age groups decreasing to 21% among those who had first arrived in the UK when they were 65+ years. Overall, among
- Almost nine in ten of Hull’s residents has been at the same address one year prior to the Census (88.5%), 0.7% had been at a student term-time address one year ago, 8.9% had been at a different UK address one year ago, and 0.7% had been at a non-UK address one year ago. Perhaps not surprisingly, the oldest (50+ years) and youngest (<15 years) residents were the most likely to be living at the same address as they were one year ago, whereas those aged 16-24 years were the least likely to be living at the same address as one year ago. Hull residents who were born outside the UK were less likely to have been at the same address one year prior to the Census, although for three-quarters this was because they were at a different address in the UK a year ago rather than being at an address outside the UK a year ago.
- Migrants populations are extremely diverse, and their health needs differ greatly. On average, foreign-born residents of the UK have better health compared to UK-born residents even accounting for age. However, this masks considerable differences among migrants. People who migrate solely for social and economic reasons have much better health than people who are forced to flee from poverty, adverse events, persecution, oppression and violence. Refugees and asylum seekers have much worse health. Migrants face an increased likelihood of adverse health outcomes resulting from previous conflict and trauma as well as other adverse events from their countries and their journey. Furthermore, they face additional exclusions and barriers to essential services such as housing, employment, education, social services and healthcare in their destination country due to exclusionary migration policies, and language and cultural barriers as well as racism and discrimination.
The Population Affected – Why Is It Important?
In the BioMed Central article on migration and health research, they state that human migration is essential to growing economies and represent a critical part of social and cultural fabric of our societies. They point out that global migration continues to rise at unprecedented rates, fuelled by ‘push’ factors such as extreme weather events caused by climate change, conflict and violence, political instability, and poverty, as well as ‘pull’ factors including kinship networks and a desire for social and economic mobility.
Definitions
The dictionary definition of a migrant is a person who moves from one place to another, especially in order to find work or better living conditions, and a refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or national disaster. An asylum-seeker is someone who is seeking international protection who has left their home country as a political refugee and is seeking asylum in another country. Only asylum-seekers who are granted refugee status are allowed to work in the country. The term ‘illegal immigrant’ or ‘irregular migration’ is often used and this often refers to someone who is living and/or working in the UK without the legal right to do so (and as a result are generally not permitted to work or access benefits, social housing or free hospital care).
As stated by the Migration Observatory, there are different definitions of migrants. Migrants might be defined as foreign-born, by foreign citizenship, or by their movement into a new country to stay temporarily or settle for the long-term. Dictionary definitions sometimes distinguish immigrants – people who are, or intend to be, settled in their new country – from migrants who temporarily residents. However, in practice, phrases are used interchangeably, and there are no definitions in law, although from a legal perspective, there is a key distinction between people who are ‘subject to immigration control’, who need permission to enter or remain in the UK, and those who do not. While the UK was part of the European Union, European Union nationals were not subject to immigration control, although they were often described as migrants. Different datasets define migrants based on country of birth, nationality and/or length of stay depending on what data is collected. The Office of National Statistics use the United Nations definition of ‘long-term international migrant’ as “a person who moves to a country other than that of his or her usual residence for a period of at least one year so that the country of destination effectively becomes his or her new country of usual residence”. This represents a challenge for newly arrived migrants as it is often not known how long they will stay. To complicate the situation further, different definitions are not interchangeable. For example, people who are foreign-born are not all foreign nationals, some foreign nationals may have lived in the UK for decades whereas others have only been in the UK for a year. Not all foreign-born UK residents are subject to immigration control as there will be some children born abroad of UK national parents (e.g. service personnel) and others are long-term British residents who have acquired citizenship. In addition, the term ‘migrant’ is sometimes distinguished from, and sometimes includes, foreign nationals who are seeking asylum in the UK. These represents a small proportion of the overall entrants into the UK, although attract a great deal of public and policy attention.
Migrant status can also be relatively fluid depending on the ‘length of time in country’ used to define migrants. Whilst one year in the country is generally used to define migrants, there will be people who living in the UK for shorter periods of time, or return periodically. Some people who are foreign-born can come to the UK to study, and some people born in the UK can move abroad to study. Some of these will be temporary moves which might last the duration of the educational course, but others may settle in the country due to the relationships formed, preference, or for work prospects. This of course is true of people who come into the UK or move out of the UK for work or other purposes, they could return to their country of birth in the future, or return to their country of birth for a period of time and then return to the UK again. The people who migrate may have a plan or idea of how long they will remain in their new country when they migrate, but the time actually spent in the country ultimately may be different to that originally anticipated, and additionally will likely depend on permissions to enter or remain in the UK. People who are aged 18-39 years are probably more likely to migrate for study or work reasons.
As stated by the Migration Observatory, the definition of ‘migrant’ is not simply a technical problem but has an important effect on migration data and the analyses generated from the data. This, in turn, has an impact on public understanding and on policy debates. The confusion in public debate over the definition of ‘migrant’ poses challenges for government policy. Not all those who are considered ‘migrants’ in public debate and datasets are subject to immigration controls and policies. The definition of ‘migrant’ used by most official sources includes many British citizens and others whose rights to work and access to services in the UK are not determined by immigration controls alone.
Regardless of migration status, all refugees and migrants have the right to health and countries should provide refugee and migrant-sensitive health care services.
Why is Refugee and Migrant Health Important?
From the World Health Organisation, global migration is a long-standing phenomenon. It may increase because of conflict, persecution, environmental degradation and climate change, and a profound lack of human security and opportunity. Many people move in the hope of improved employment and life opportunities.
The correlation between health and migration is dynamic by nature and complex. Health is strongly related to the social determinants of health, including employment, income, education and housing. When not properly supported by appropriate intersectoral policies, migration can expose the most vulnerable socioeconomic groups to significant risks.
Addressing the needs of these populations with well-functioning public health and health services responds to the human right to health, protects the health of both migrants and host communities, and contributes to integration and social and economic development. This is because refugees and migrants contribute to the society in which they live, especially when in good health. Access to information, prevention and appropriate care, including diagnostics, treatment and vaccines, is essential for these groups to fulfil their health needs. Furthermore, it ensures security for global public health.
Health Among Refugees and Migrants
Migrant populations are very diverse. People who choose to migrate for social or economic reasons can be very different compared to people who are forced to migrate. From the Migration Observatory, on average, foreign-born residents are healthier than UK-born residents. In part, this is because people who are not born in the UK tend to be younger than people born in the UK. However, even within the same age groups, people who are foreign-born have better health than people who were born in the UK. This is because the people who tend to migrate for social or economic reasons tend to be younger and healthier than those who stay behind and do not migrate, and at the same time, the Migration Observatory state that the healthiest migrants are more likely to stay in their new destination rather than return to their origin countries.
However, whilst this is the case on average, this masks considerable inequalities within the migrant population. People who are forced to flee from adverse events – persecution, oppression and violence – are by their very nature include a higher percentage of vulnerable populations. Refugees and asylum seekers have much worse health than other migrants.
Barriers to Health
From the World Health Organisation, refugees and migrants often experience barriers in accessing essential services including health because legislation or regulations restrict access according to nationality or migration status; fear of immigration authorities and detection, detention and deportation; financial barriers; language and cultural differences; social stigma; administrative hurdles; and the inability to join local health financing schemes (particularly social insurance schemes).
A significant challenge is the national acceptance in legal and policy terms of the human right to health of refugees and migrants. This acceptance requires political commitment to tackle xenophobia, discrimination, exclusion and misinformation about these populations and their health needs.
Reduction or removal of communication and language barriers is key to improving access to services by refugees and migrants. However, while a common language is crucial, culturally competent services should offer more than just minimal communication. Refugee-friendly and migrant-friendly services should be able to explain the host country’s system of health care, and use telephone interpreting, face-to-face interpreting, intercultural mediation, and supportive written information to improve health communication for both providers and patients.
Migrant Health Guide
The UK government has a Migrant Health Guide which provides advice and guidance on the health needs of migrant patients for healthcare professionals. It covers access to healthcare, assessing and treating patients, vulnerable migrant groups, communicable diseases, outbreak management, non-communicable diseases and nutrition.
The Hull Picture
Estimated Number of Migrants in Hull
The information presented below is based on information from the 2021 Census and as a result is based on the Hull residents at the time of the Census. The Census collected information on country of birth, time living in UK, age of first arrival in UK and whether the person’s address one year ago was the same as their (current) address at the time of the Census. The information from the Census can be used to give an estimate of the number of ‘migrants’ living in Hull, but due to there being no standard definition, the numbers will differ and conflict depending on what measure is used, and may not reflect the number of people in Hull who are living in Hull based on permission to enter or stay in the UK (subject to immigration control). Many people living in Hull who are foreign-born have lived in the UK a long time.
As the UK Census clearly does not include non-UK residents at the time of the Census, it cannot provide information on the number of UK-born or foreign-born people who lived in Hull one year prior to the Census but had moved outside the UK and were living abroad at the time of the Census. However, there are other national sources and estimates in relation to the numbers entering and leaving Hull available from the Office of National Statistics provided as part of their resident population estimates.
Estimates Based on the 2021 Census
From the 2021 Census, based on the foreign-born, there were 34,963 residents of Hull who were not born in the UK representing 13.1% of all Hull’s residents. However, the percentages were not evenly distributed by age with a far higher percentage of residents not born in the UK among those aged 25-34 years (20.2%) and 35-49 years (23.0%) compared to those aged under 15 years (7.2%), 50-64 years (9.4%) or 65+ years (3.4%). Overall, 65% of residents who were not born in the UK were born in European countries although this also varied by age from 54% among those aged 65+ years to 70% among those aged under 15 years.
Country of birth | <15 | 16-24 | 25-34 | 35-49 | 50-64 | 65+ | Total |
Total (N) | 53,139 | 31,806 | 41,038 | 50,812 | 49,396 | 40,824 | 267,015 |
UK (N) | 49,324 | 26,662 | 32,765 | 39,105 | 44,776 | 39,420 | 232,052 |
Foreign-born (N) | 3,815 | 5,144 | 8,273 | 11,707 | 4,620 | 1,404 | 34,963 |
UK (%) | 92.8 | 83.8 | 79.8 | 77.0 | 90.6 | 96.6 | 86.9 |
Foreign-born (%) | 7.2 | 16.2 | 20.2 | 23.0 | 9.4 | 3.4 | 13.1 |
Ireland & other Europe (%) | 5.0 | 10.4 | 13.8 | 14.6 | 5.7 | 1.9 | 8.5 |
Africa (%) | 0.7 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 1.5 |
Middle East & Asia (%) | 1.3 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 5.3 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 2.8 |
Americans & Caribbean (%) | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
Antarctica & Oceania including Australasia (%) | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
From the 2021 Census, based on the year of arrival in the UK, 232,051 Hull residents were born in the UK representing 86.9% of the population. Over four in ten (43%) of Hull residents who had not been born in the UK, had moved to the UK prior to 2011 (15,058 residents in total). The remaining 19,906 residents had moved to the UK in the last decade between 2011 and 2021.
Year of arrival in UK | Number | Percentage |
Born in UK | 232,051 | 86.9 |
Before 1951 | 103 | 0.0 |
1951 to 1960 | 235 | 0.1 |
1961 to 1970 | 490 | 0.2 |
1971 to 1980 | 679 | 0.3 |
1981 to 1990 | 735 | 0.3 |
1991 to 2000 | 1,582 | 0.6 |
2000 to 2010 | 11,234 | 4.2 |
2011 to 2013 | 4,380 | 1.6 |
2014 to 2016 | 6,164 | 2.3 |
2017 to 2019 | 6,469 | 2.4 |
2020 to 2021 | 2,893 | 1.1 |
Total | 267,015 | 100 |
From the 2021 Census, examining age of arrival in the UK and length of time in UK, there were 232,051 residents who were born in the UK, around 9,000-9,600 foreign-born residents of Hull arrived in the UK for each of the three age groups: 0-15, 16-24 and 25-34 years, with fewer people aged 35+ years when they first arrived in the UK. The number of foreign-born residents of Hull who first arrived in the UK when they were aged 65+ years was low – being only 188 residents. It is possible that the majority of these people are relatives of people who are already living in the UK.
Under 2% of Hull residents had been in the UK for less than two years. The majority of Hull’s residents who had not been born in the UK had been in the UK for five or more years.
Age of arrival in UK (N) | Born in UK | In UK 10+ years | In UK 5-<10 years | In UK 2-<5 years | In UK <2 years | Total |
Born in UK | 232,051 | 232,051 | ||||
Aged 0-15 | 4,725 | 2,221 | 1,453 | 903 | 9,302 | |
Aged 16-24 | 4,413 | 2,288 | 1,550 | 1,342 | 9,593 | |
Aged 25-34 | 3,938 | 2,286 | 1,535 | 1,291 | 9,050 | |
Aged 35-49 | 1,881 | 1,632 | 1,094 | 907 | 5,514 | |
Aged 50-64 | 342 | 350 | 364 | 264 | 1,320 | |
Aged 65+ | 39 | 41 | 49 | 59 | 188 | |
Total | 232,051 | 15,338 | 8,818 | 6,045 | 4,766 | 267,018 |
More than four in ten of those not born in the UK had arrived in the UK 10 years or more ago (43.9%), one-quarter (25.2%) five years or more but less than ten years ago, 17.3% two years or more but less than five years ago, and 13.6% had arrived in the UK within the last two years.
Eight in ten of foreign-born residents of Hull had first arrived in the UK prior to the age of 35 years with an additional 15.8% arriving when they were aged 35-49 years.
Age of arrival in UK (%) | In UK 10+ years | In UK 5-<10 years | In UK 2-<5 years | In UK <2 years | Total |
Aged 0-15 | 13.5 | 6.4 | 4.2 | 2.6 | 26.4 |
Aged 16-24 | 12.6 | 6.5 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 27.4 |
Aged 25-34 | 11.3 | 6.5 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 25.9 |
Aged 35-49 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 15.8 |
Aged 50-64 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 3.8 |
Aged 65+ | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
Total | 43.9 | 25.2 | 17.3 | 13.6 | 100 |
Half of children and young people who had first arrived in the UK aged 0-15 years had lived in the UK for ten or more years with almost a further quarter lived in the UK five or more years but fewer than ten years.
As age of arrival in the UK increased, people were more less likely to have been in the UK for ten or more years.
The lowest percentage of people who had lived in the UK for ten or more years was among those people who had first arrived in the UK when they were aged 65+ years where just over one in five (21%) had lived in the UK for ten or more years, although as noted above there were only 188 residents of Hull who were foreign-born who had first moved to the UK when they were aged 65+ years so relatively small numbers.
The time in the UK and the age of arrival in the UK reflects the increased migration in the last decade combined with the usual age of migrants when they first arrive in a new country.
Age of arrival in UK (%) | In UK 10+ years | In UK 5-<10 years | In UK 2-<5 years | In UK <2 years | Total |
Aged 0-15 | 50.8 | 23.9 | 15.6 | 9.7 | 100 |
Aged 16-24 | 46.0 | 23.9 | 16.2 | 14.0 | 100 |
Aged 25-34 | 43.5 | 25.3 | 17.0 | 14.3 | 100 |
Aged 35-49 | 34.1 | 29.6 | 19.8 | 16.4 | 100 |
Aged 50-64 | 25.9 | 26.5 | 27.6 | 20.0 | 100 |
Aged 65+ | 20.7 | 21.8 | 26.1 | 31.4 | 100 |
Total | 43.9 | 25.2 | 17.3 | 13.6 | 100 |
Of those who had been in the UK ten or more years, 31% had been 0-15 years when they first arrived in the UK, 29% had been aged 16-24 years and 26% had been aged 25-34 years. Of those who had been in the UK for five or more years but fewer than ten years, and for two or more years but fewer than five years, one-quarter had first arrived for each of the age groups 0-15, 16-24 and 25-34 years. The age distribution of first arrival in the UK was slightly different among those who had first arrived in the UK in the last two years with 19% aged 0-15 years when they first arrived, 28% aged 16-24, 27% aged 35-49 and 19% aged 35-49 years when they first arrived in the UK.
Age of arrival in UK (%) | In UK 10+ years | In UK 5-<10 years | In UK 2-<5 years | In UK <2 years | Total |
Aged 0-15 | 30.8 | 25.2 | 24.0 | 18.9 | 26.6 |
Aged 16-24 | 28.8 | 25.9 | 25.6 | 28.2 | 27.4 |
Aged 25-34 | 25.7 | 25.9 | 25.4 | 27.1 | 25.9 |
Aged 35-49 | 12.3 | 18.5 | 18.1 | 19.0 | 15.8 |
Aged 50-64 | 2.2 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 3.8 |
Aged 65+ | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.5 |
Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
The highest number of foreign-born Hull residents by current age (at the time of the Census) and age of arrival in the UK were people aged 35-49 years who first arrived in the UK when they were aged 25-34 years (5,400), people who are aged 25-34 years who first arrived in the UK when they were aged 16-24 years (4,311), children and young people aged under 16 years (3,816) and people aged 35-49 years who first arrived in the UK when they were aged 35-49 years (3,042).
Age of arrival in UK | Aged 0-15 now | Aged 16-24 now | Aged 25-34 now | Aged 35-49 now | Aged 50-64 now | Aged 65+ now | Total |
Born in UK | 49,322 | 26,662 | 32,765 | 39,106 | 44,776 | 39,420 | 232,051 |
Aged 0-15 | 3,816 | 2,917 | 1,020 | 682 | 607 | 256 | 9,298 |
Aged 16-24 | 2,227 | 4,311 | 2,583 | 233 | 239 | 9,593 | |
Aged 25-34 | 2,941 | 5,400 | 545 | 165 | 9,051 | ||
Aged 35-49 | 3,042 | 2,310 | 160 | 5,512 | |||
Aged 50-64 | 925 | 395 | 1,320 | ||||
Aged 65+ | 188 | 188 | |||||
Total | 53,138 | 31,806 | 41,037 | 50,813 | 49,396 | 40,823 | 267,013 |
The majority of Hull residents who were not born in the UK and were aged 0-15 years when they first arrived in the UK were aged under 25 years (at the time of the Census) with 41% aged 0-15 years and 31% aged 16-24 years.
Almost 45% of Hull residents who first arrived in the UK when they were aged 16-24 years were aged 25-49 years at the time of the Census with the remaining split between 16-24 and 35-49 years (with very few currently aged 50+ years).
Six in ten of foreign-born Hull residents who first arrived in the UK when they were aged 25-34 years were aged 35-49 at the time of the Census with almost a third currently aged 25-34 years.
Over half of Hull residents not born in the UK who first arrived in the UK when they were aged 35-49 years were still in the same age band at the time of the Census with an additional 42% aged 50-64 years at the time of the Census (although the age band is slightly wider than the younger age bands so it might be expected that more are within the same age band at the time of the Census compared to their age when they first arrived in the UK).
Age of arrival in UK | Aged 0-15 now | Aged 16-24 now | Aged 25-34 now | Aged 35-49 now | Aged 50-64 now | Aged 65+ now | Total |
Aged 0-15 | 41.0 | 31.4 | 11.0 | 7.3 | 6.5 | 2.8 | 100 |
Aged 16-24 | 23.2 | 44.9 | 26.9 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 100 | |
Aged 25-34 | 32.5 | 59.7 | 6.0 | 1.8 | 100 | ||
Aged 35-49 | 55.2 | 41.9 | 2.9 | 100 | |||
Aged 50-64 | 70.1 | 29.9 | 100 | ||||
Aged 65+ | 100 | 100 | |||||
Total | 10.9 | 14.7 | 23.7 | 33.5 | 13.2 | 4.0 | 100 |
Among Hull residents aged 0-15 years (at the time of the 2021 Census), 92.8% were born in the UK. Over nine in ten residents of Hull who were aged 50-64 years at the time of the Census were also born in the UK, and the percentage was even higher among Hull residents aged 65+ years at 97%.
The percentages born in the UK were lower among those aged 16-49 years.
Among all Hull residents aged 16-24 years, 9.2% were foreign-born and had first arrived in the UK when they were aged 0-15 years and 7.0% were foreign-born and had first arrived in the UK when they were aged 16-24 years.
Among all Hull residents aged 25-34 years, 20.2% were foreign-born which included 10.5% who were aged 16-24 years and 7.2% who were aged 25-34 years when they first arriving in the UK.
Among all Hull residents aged 35-49 years, 23.0% were foreign-born which included 10.6% who were aged 25-3 years, 6.0% who were aged 35-49 years and 5.1% who were aged 16-24 years when they first arriving in the UK.
Age of arrival in UK | Aged 0-15 now | Aged 16-24 now | Aged 25-34 now | Aged 35-49 now | Aged 50-64 now | Aged 65+ now | Total |
Born in UK | 92.8 | 83.8 | 79.8 | 77.0 | 90.6 | 96.6 | 86.9 |
Aged 0-15 | 7.2 | 9.2 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 3.5 |
Aged 16-24 | 7.0 | 10.5 | 5.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 3.6 | |
Aged 25-34 | 7.2 | 10.6 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 3.4 | ||
Aged 35-49 | 6.0 | 4.7 | 0.4 | 2.1 | |||
Aged 50-64 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.5 | ||||
Aged 65+ | 0.5 | 0.1 | |||||
Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Of Hull residents who were foreign-born, from their current age (at the time of the Census) and the age when they first arrived in the UK, for all current age groups aged 16+ years, the majority were within a younger age band when they first arrived in the UK compared to their current age.
Age of arrival in UK | Aged 0-15 now | Aged 16-24 now | Aged 25-34 now | Aged 35-49 now | Aged 50-64 now | Aged 65+ now | Total |
Aged 0-15 | 100 | 56.7 | 12.3 | 5.8 | 13.1 | 18.2 | 26.6 |
Aged 16-24 | 43.3 | 52.1 | 22.1 | 5.0 | 17.0 | 27.4 | |
Aged 25-34 | 35.6 | 46.1 | 11.8 | 11.8 | 25.9 | ||
Aged 35-49 | 26.0 | 50.0 | 11.4 | 15.8 | |||
Aged 50-64 | 20.0 | 28.2 | 3.8 | ||||
Aged 65+ | 13.4 | 0.5 | |||||
Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
There is a ‘migrant status’ variable recorded in the Census which is defined on the basis of the address one year earlier, and is categorised as migration within the UK as well as migration into the UK within the last year.
Among the 267,022 residents of Hull, 234,762 (87.9%) were living at the same address at the time of the 2021 Census as they were one year ago. A further 2,015 (0.8%) Hull residents had been living at a different address one year ago which was a student term-time or boarding school address in the UK. The remaining 27,017 (10.1%) Hull residents were living at a different address one year ago with that address in the UK for 25,002 (9.4%) of Hull residents and outside the UK for 2,015 (0.8%) of Hull residents. For 3,090 Hull residents, their prior address was not applicable as they were infants aged under one year.
Overall, there were 2,015 Hull residents who had been living at an address outside the UK one year prior to the Census, 262 of these had been born in the UK and 1,753 were foreign-born.
As mentioned earlier, as the Census is a count of residents at the time of the Census, it will not capture previous residents of Hull who were living in Hull one year prior to the Census who have moved out of Hull to other parts of the UK or abroad. So this table reflects migration in one direction only whether that is people moving into Hull from abroad, moving into Hull other parts of the UK, or moving home within Hull. It is likely that a sizeable percentage of people who are recorded as living at a different address in the UK one year prior to the Census were living in Hull (or perhaps surrounding areas such as East Riding of Yorkshire) one year prior to the Census and their address change was within the local area. This will be particularly the case among older ages. Young people who are transitioning between school and further education or work will be more likely to have moved address in the last year perhaps from further afield. Families with school-aged children are also perhaps more likely to move as are people of working-age for work purposes.
Born in UK or not | Address one year before Census | <15 | 16-24 | 25-34 | 35-49 | 50-64 | 65+ | Total |
Born in UK | Infant | 3,073 | 3,073 | |||||
Same | 42,346 | 19,221 | 27,564 | 36,353 | 43,082 | 38,482 | 207,048 | |
Student | 2 | 1,722 | 91 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1,819 | |
Different in UK | 3,878 | 5,665 | 5,033 | 2,717 | 1,644 | 917 | 19,854 | |
Non-UK | 25 | 56 | 78 | 33 | 49 | 21 | 262 | |
Total | 49,324 | 26,664 | 32,766 | 39,106 | 44,776 | 39,420 | 232,056 | |
Not born in UK | Infant | 17 | ||||||
Same | 3,000 | 3,271 | 5,978 | 10,068 | 4,086 | 1,311 | 27,714 | |
Student | 0 | 275 | 48 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 334 | |
Different in UK | 527 | 1,153 | 1,735 | 1,249 | 422 | 62 | 5,148 | |
Non-UK | 271 | 445 | 512 | 384 | 110 | 31 | 1,753 | |
Total | 3,815 | 5,144 | 8,273 | 11,709 | 4,621 | 1,404 | 34,966 | |
All | Infant | 3,090 | ||||||
Same | 45,346 | 22,492 | 33,542 | 46,421 | 47,168 | 39,793 | 234,762 | |
Student | 2 | 1,997 | 139 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 2,153 | |
Different in UK | 4,405 | 6,818 | 6,768 | 3,966 | 2,066 | 979 | 25,002 | |
Non-UK | 296 | 501 | 590 | 417 | 159 | 52 | 2,015 | |
Total | 53,139 | 31,808 | 41,039 | 50,815 | 49,397 | 40,824 | 267,022 |
The column percentages are given below for each age group. Not surprisingly, the oldest residents of Hull aged 50+ years were the most likely to be living at the same address one year before the Census with over 95% living at the same address. Hull residents aged 16-24 years were the least likely to be living at the same address with only 70% living at the same address at the time of the Census as they had been one year prior to this.
Born in UK or not | Address one year before Census | <15 | 16-24 | 25-34 | 35-49 | 50-64 | 65+ | Total |
Born in UK | Infant | 5.8 | 1.2 | |||||
Same | 79.7 | 60.4 | 67.4 | 71.5 | 87.2 | 94.3 | 77.5 | |
Student | 0.0 | 5.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | |
Different in UK | 7.3 | 17.8 | 12.3 | 5.3 | 3.3 | 2.2 | 7.4 | |
Non-UK | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |
Total | 92.8 | 83.8 | 79.8 | 77.0 | 90.6 | 96.6 | 86.9 | |
Not born in UK | Infant | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||
Same | 5.6 | 10.3 | 14.6 | 19.8 | 8.3 | 3.2 | 10.4 | |
Student | 0.0 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | |
Different in UK | 1.0 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.9 | |
Non-UK | 0.5 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.7 | |
Total | 7.2 | 16.2 | 20.2 | 23.0 | 9.4 | 3.4 | 13.1 | |
All | Infant | 5.8 | 1.2 | |||||
Same | 85.3 | 70.7 | 81.7 | 91.4 | 95.5 | 97.5 | 87.9 | |
Student | 0.0 | 6.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | |
Different in UK | 8.3 | 21.4 | 16.5 | 7.8 | 4.2 | 2.4 | 9.4 | |
Non-UK | 0.6 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.8 | |
Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
For all ages, Hull residents who were foreign-born were less likely to be living in the same address at the time of the Census compared to one year prior to this, and whilst by definition there was a higher percentage who had been living outside the UK one year prior the Census, the percentage not living at the same address were mainly because they had been living at a different address in the UK one year prior to the Census (rather than living abroad). This could denote more transient populations simply as a result of their generally younger age, but this occurred for all age groups, so suggests that perhaps accommodation is less stable for foreign-born residents of Hull.
Born in UK or not | Address one year before Census | <15 | 16-24 | 25-34 | 35-49 | 50-64 | 65+ | Total |
Born in UK | Infant | 6.2 | 1.3 | |||||
Same | 85.9 | 72.1 | 84.1 | 93.0 | 96.2 | 97.6 | 78.2 | |
Student | 0.0 | 6.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | |
Different in UK | 7.9 | 21.2 | 15.4 | 6.9 | 3.7 | 2.3 | 8.6 | |
Non-UK | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |
Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | |
Not born in UK | Infant | 0.4 | 0.0 | |||||
Same | 78.6 | 63.6 | 72.3 | 86.0 | 88.4 | 93.4 | 79.3 | |
Student | 0.0 | 5.3 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | |
Different in UK | 13.8 | 22.4 | 21.0 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 4.4 | 14.7 | |
Non-UK | 7.1 | 8.7 | 6.2 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 5.0 | |
Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Local and International Migration in Hull
The mid-year resident population estimates from the Office for National Statistics, give information on the number of births and deaths as well as estimates of migration for successive mid-year estimates. The mid-year population resident population estimates for Hull were 268,677 for 2022 and 271,942 for 2023. Between July 2022 and July 2023, there were 3,067 births and 2,749 deaths among Hull residents between July 2022 and July 2023 equating to a natural reduction in population of 318 people, but the largest differences were due to migration with people leaving Hull to move to other parts of the UK (reducing the population by 1.1%) and migration with people moving into Hull from abroad (increasing the population by 2.1%). It is likely that a number of people moving into Hull from abroad will be students. There were an additional 73 people living in Hull due to other changes such as those due to the prison population or armed forces.
Component of change | Number of people | Percentage (of 2022 population) |
Births to Hull residents | 3,067 | 1.1 |
Deaths to Hull residents | 2,749 | 1.0 |
Natural change | 318 | 0.1 |
Internal migration into Hull | 11,686 | 4.3 |
Internal migration out of Hull | 14,580 | 5.4 |
Internal migration – net change | -2, 890 | -1.1 |
International migration into Hull | 7,524 | 2.8 |
International migration out of Hull | 1,756 | 0.7 |
International migration – net change | 5,768 | 2.1 |
Other net change | 73 | 0.0 |
Overall net change in population | 3,265 | 1.2 |
These components of change are also available for different ages, and as expected the size of the different population changes differs by age. The largest changes occurred in the youngest age group due to births, oldest age group due to deaths and the middle age group due to migration.
The highest levels of both internal and international migration occurred among people aged 25-39 years with a decrease in the population due to internal migration and an increase in the population due to international migration.
Population or component of change | Aged 0-17 | Aged 18-24 | Aged 25-39 | Aged 40-64 | Aged 65+ |
Population 2022 | 59,881 | 24,649 | 60,390 | 81,479 | 41,738 |
Population 2023 | 61,0745 | 24,491 | 62,667 | 81,405 | 42,304 |
Births | 3,067 | ||||
Deaths | 15 | 5 | 59 | 470 | 2,200 |
Natural net change | 3,052 | -5 | -59 | -470 | -2,200 |
Internal – in | 1,483 | 3,659 | 3,854 | 1,937 | 753 |
Internal – out | 2,066 | 3,807 | 5,098 | 2,761 | 848 |
Internal – net | -583 | -148 | -1,244 | -824 | -95 |
International – in | 2,064 | 986 | 3,517 | 928 | 29 |
International – out | 170 | 380 | 780 | 404 | 22 |
International – net | 1,894 | 606 | 2,737 | 524 | 7 |
Migration net change | 1,311 | 458 | 1,493 | -300 | -88 |
Special changes* | 0 | -32 | 84 | 52 | -31 |
Overall change | 4,363 | 421 | 1,518 | -718 | -2,319 |
As a percentage of the 2022 population in terms of migration, the largest percentage increases occurred for people aged 25-39 years as there was a 2.5% increase in the 2023 population from the 2022 population due to migration (made up of a 2.0% decrease in the population due to internal migration and a 4.5% increase in the population due to international migration). The second highest change due to migration occurred in the 0-17 year age groups with an increase of 2.2% in the 2023 population from the 2022 population due to migration (made up of a 1.0% decrease in the population due to internal migration and a 3.2% increase in the population due to international migration). It might be suggested by this, that families with children are leaving Hull to perhaps surrounding areas in East Riding of Yorkshire and people coming into Hull from abroad are also made up of families with children. The third highest change due to migration occurred in the 18-24 year age groups with an increase of 1.9% in the 2023 population from the 2022 population due to migration (made up of a 0.6% decrease in the population due to internal migration and a 2.5% increase in the population due to international migration). Young people do tend to move into cities and a number of these people are likely to be students.
There were fewer people aged 40+ years who moved into or out of Hull particularly among those aged 65+ years. There was an increase in the population aged 40-64 years between 2022 and 2023 due to people moving into Hull from abroad, and whilst this was also the case for those aged 65+ years the numbers were very small. For both age groups, there was also a decrease in the population between 2022 and 2023 due to people moving out of Hull into other parts of the UK (again with numbers relatively small for those aged 65+ years). However, the numbers of people moving out of Hull were greater than the numbers moving into Hull, so there was a decrease in the overall population for both of these age groups due to migration.
Population or component of change | Aged 0-17 | Aged 18-24 | Aged 25-39 | Aged 40-64 | Aged 65+ |
Population 2023 | 102.0 | 99.4 | 102.9 | 99.9 | 101.4 |
Births | 5.1 | ||||
Deaths | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 5.3 |
Natural net change | 5.1 | -0.0 | -0.1 | -0.6 | -5.3 |
Internal – in | 2.5 | 14.8 | 6.3 | 2.4 | 1.8 |
Internal – out | 3.5 | 15.4 | 8.4 | 3.4 | 2.0 |
Internal – net | -1.0 | -0.6 | -2.0 | -1.0 | -0.2 |
International – in | 3.4 | 4.0 | 5.8 | 1.1 | 0.1 |
International – out | 0.3 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
International – net | 3.2 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
Migration net change | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.5 | -0.4 | -0.2 |
Special changes* | 0.0 | -0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
Overall change | 7.3 | 1.7 | 2.5 | -0.9 | -5.6 |
Number of New Migrants Registered with Local GPs
In 2017, 3,342 patients were registered with Hull GPs with a new ‘Flag 4 code’ added in the previous 12 months which denotes someone registered with a GP in England and Wales who was previously living overseas. This equates to 12.8 new migrants per 1,000 resident population.
The rate in Hull was similar to England as a whole, and was slightly lower in Hull compared to York, Sheffield and Leeds. It is likely that these cities also have a relatively high rate of new migrants who decide to settle in these cities for studying or working.
Compared with benchmark
Over the period 2010 and 2017, the rate of new migrants had been relatively constant between 12.3 and 13.8 new migrants per 1,000 resident population, although the rate had been increasing from 12.3 per 1,000 population in 2013 to 13.8 per 1,000 population in 2016, before falling to 12.8 per 1,000 population following the Brexit vote in 2016.
Compared with benchmark
Migration Yorkshire Dashboard
Migration Yorkshire have produced a dashboard which examines trends in migration in the Yorkshire region with much of the information available at local authority level. The numbers of migrants is examined over time as well as the top 10 nationalities, and the sex and age profile of the migrants.
Access Migration Yorkshire Dashboard
Health Intelligence Pack for Migrant Health
The Office for Health Improvement & Disparities have published a Health Intelligence Pack for Migrant Health which gives information relation to migrants and their health across local authorities within the Yorkshire and Humber region. The link is as follows, but they have given us permission to display their dashboard on our JSNA website.
Health Intelligence Pack for Migrant Health
The information has not been updated since it was published so there might be later information available.
The local knowledge and intelligence service team have given permission for us to display their health intelligence pack on our JSNA page. You can click on the zoom icon on the bottom right hand side of the page to make the page smaller or larger, and click on the < or > icons at the bottom of the page to move to move back or forward through the pages, or click on the page numbers “1 of 20” themselves to select a specific page. On specific pages, there are options to select different groups, such as select a specific region or local authority, specific years, or filter by nationality etc.
Strategic Need and Service Provision
This section will be updated in due course.
Resources
Migration and health research: past, present and future. Goldenberg SM and Fischer F. BMC Public Health, 2023; 23: 1425. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-023-16363-7
Who counts as a migrant? Definitions and their consequences. The Migration Observatory. https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/who-counts-as-a-migrant-definitions-and-their-consequences/
Irregular migration in the UK. The Migration Observatory. https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/irregular-migration-in-the-uk/
The health of migrants in the UK. The Migration Observatory. https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/the-health-of-migrants-in-the-uk/
Refugee and migrant health. World Health Organisation. https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/refugee-and-migrant-health
Migrant health guide. UK government. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migrant-health-guide
Health intelligence pack for migrant health. Office for Health Improvement & Disparities. Health intelligence pack for migrant health.
Updates
This page was last updated / checked on 11 July 2025.
This page is due to be updated / checked in October 2025.