Official Statistics

National Insurance number allocations to adult overseas nationals entering the UK to June 2020

Published 27 August 2020

The latest release of these statistics can be found in the collection of National Insurance number allocations statistics.

This summary contains statistics on National Insurance numbers (NINos) allocated to adult overseas nationals, covering the period from January 2002 to June 2020.

A National Insurance number (or NINo) is generally required by any adult overseas national looking to work or claim benefits and tax credits in the UK.

These Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) statistics show a count, by individual nationality, of the number of NINos registered to adult non-UK nationals each quarter, irrespective of the length of stay in the UK. The statistics are not a count of the number of adult non-UK nationals currently residing in the UK.

1. Main stories

In quarter 2 (Q2) of the 2020 calendar year, there were 55,000 NINo registrations: a 72% decrease compared to the same quarter in 2019, this is the lowest number of registrations in a quarter since the start of the time series in quarter 1 (Q1) 2002. This decrease in registrations is primarily due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

European Union (EU) registrations in Q2 2020 were the lowest they have been in a quarter since Q2 2003, whereas Non-EU registrations were the lowest they have been in a quarter since Q2 2014. Non-EU registrations continued to outnumber EU registrations for the second quarter in a row and had a smaller decrease than EU registrations. Prior to 2020, the last time Non-EU registrations outnumbered EU within a quarter was quarter 4 (Q4) 2010.

610,000 NINos were registered in the year to June 2020: a 13% decrease on the year to June 2019. Despite a large decrease in registrations from EU nationals on the year to June 2019, registrations to EU nationals still make up more than half the registrations in the year to June 2020.

EU registrations decreased by 110,000 in the year to June 2020: a 25% decrease on the previous year. This change was mostly the result of the decrease of registrations by nationals from Romania, Poland and Italy. All EU countries with the exception of Sweden saw a decrease in registrations in the year to June 2020 compared to the previous year. In January 2020 the UK officially exited the EU, although until the end of the transition period the rights of EU nationals remain unchanged.

Despite the decrease in the latest quarter, Non-EU registrations increased by 21,000 in the year to June 2020: an 8% increase on the previous year. This change was mostly the result of the increase of registrations by nationals from India, Pakistan, Turkey, Ukraine, and Nigeria.

It is important to acknowledge that due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, NINo operations have been severely disrupted since mid-March. Demand for NINo services may have been impacted but this cannot be inferred from these statistics.

2. What you need to know

This summary contains statistics on NINos allocated to adult overseas nationals, covering the period from January 2002 to June 2020.

These statistics are designated as Official Statistics.

What can you use these figures for?

The statistics provide:

• a 100% count of foreign nationals registered for a NINo in a quarter
• the nationality of foreign nationals at the time of registering
• where the foreign nationals registered

What you cannot use these figures for

The statistics cannot be used as a count of:

• quarterly or annual migration to the UK
• the number of foreign nationals who have started work or are currently in work
• the number of foreign nationals who are currently in the UK

The statistics show the number of people registered for a NINo in order to work or to claim benefits and tax credits and are one of a number of supplementary measures produced by government of in-migration to the UK.

Although quarterly registration figures are provided in the accompanying data tables, care should be taken when interpreting quarterly changes as they might reflect changes in operational activity. Annual year-on-year changes are more reliable to reflect longer-term trends.

The statistics are published as part of the scheduled timetable for the release of cross-Government migration statistics. The Migration Statistics Quarterly Report (MSQR) is a summary of the quarterly releases of official international migration statistics by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Read the background information note for further information, including detail on uses and limitations of the series.

Comparisons with other sources of migration

NINo statistics are not a direct measure of long term migration and therefore are not directly comparable with ONS long-term estimates of immigration.

On 7 March 2016, the ONS published an information note explaining the reasons why long-term international immigration figures from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) could differ from the number of NINo registrations.

This was followed by an analytical paper presenting analysis that has been undertaken across government to help understand why the two series are showing different trends, with focus on EU migration.

EU groupings used within migration statistics

The following EU groupings are used in the statistics:

• EU15 (these are the original EU members: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden)
• EU8 (these joined the EU in 2004: Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia)
• EU2 (these joined the EU in 2007: Romania & Bulgaria)
• EU Other (Croatia, Cyprus and Malta)

For reporting purposes, countries have been grouped into ‘World Areas’ based primarily on geographical location.

Changes to the process of NINo recording in 2014

A change to the process of recording NINos during the Q2 2014, means that the volume of NINo registrations recorded were lower in that quarter and then higher in the subsequent quarter 3 (Q3) 2014 than would otherwise be the case. Therefore, NINo registrations over this period should be interpreted with caution.

Rounding policy

The rounding policy was reviewed for the May 2020 publication, as the publication now includes lower level figures. Data in the release has since been rounded as per the table below.

From	To	Rounded to nearest
0	1,000	10
1,001	10,000	100
10,001	100,000	1,000
100,001	1,000,000	10,000
1,000,001	10,000,000	100,000
10,000,001	100,000,000	1,000,000

All changes are calculated prior to rounding. Percentage changes are calculated prior to rounding and then are rounded to the nearest whole number. As all figures within this statistical summary have been rounded, they may not add up.

COVID-19

The NINo allocation process was disrupted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of NINos allocated.

The processing of employment inspired NINo applications was suspended in March 2020 to enable the redeployment of resources to other DWP areas to address the unprecedented demand for financial assistance, for example to help process new Universal Credit applications. Although new employment inspired NINo applications were not accepted, those already received and new benefit inspired applications were processed to completion. On 1 June 2020, service was reinstated for applicants who were in possession of a work VISA. A date to restart processing of applications for those whose applications require an ‘Evidence of Identity’ interview, has not yet been agreed.

The impact of the operational disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be visible in the yearly data for some time after the COVID-19 pandemic ends. Once NINo services become fully available any change in demand for NINo services during the COVID-19 pandemic, currently not visible in the data, may start impacting the yearly NINo registration statistics.

EU Exit

On 31 January 2020, the UK officially exited the EU but a period of transition commenced. Although there have been no changes to the rights of EU nationals during the transition period there has been a continuation of the downward trend in EU registrations since the EU referendum in June 2016.

Quarterly Data

For some nationality sub-groups seasonal patterns in the number of registrations are visible in the quarterly figures. However, these are often heavily disrupted by various changes to policy, operations and other events such as COVID-19. Seasonal effects can also be suppressed at levels of data higher than individual nationalities, due to different countries having opposing seasonal patterns.

Quarter 1 (Q1) to quarter 4 (Q4) refers to calendar quarters, starting from 1 January to 31 March for Q1.

3. How many people are registering?

Figure 1: Number of NINo registrations by year to June 2020

Source: NINo statistics data tables.

610,000 NINos were registered in the year to June 2020: a 13% decrease on the year to June 2019. Despite a large decrease in registrations from European Union (EU) nationals on the year to June 2019, registrations to EU nationals still make up more than half the registrations in the year to June 2020.

Figure 2: Number of NINo registrations by quarter to June 2020

Source: NINo statistics data tables.

In Q2 2020 there were 55,000 NINos registered: a 72% decrease on Q2 2019.

The decrease in registrations is primarily due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with processing of new employment inspired NINo applications being suspended on 18 March 2020. Although new employment inspired NINo applications were not accepted, those already received and new benefit inspired applications were processed to completion.

4. Where in the world are people registering from?

Figure 3: Percentage of NINo registrations by Non-EU and EU subgroups over the 5 years to June 2020

Source: NINo statistics data tables.

Figure 4: NINo registrations in the year to June 2020, change from previous year and annual percentage change

World Area	Registrations to Jun 2019	Registrations to Jun 2020	Change from previous year	Annual Percentage Change
EU	450,000	330,000	-110,000	-25%
Non-EU	260,000	280,000	+21,000	+8%
Total*	710,000	610,000	-94,000	-13%

Note: * The total also includes registrations of individuals whose nationality is Unknown, as such it will be greater than the sum of EU and Non-EU.

Registrations from EU nationals decreased year on year, whereas registrations from Non-EU nationals increased year on year. In the year to June 2020, registrations to Non-EU nationals increased by 8%, compared to a 25% decrease in registrations from EU nationals in the same period. This has driven a relative change in the balance of EU and Non-EU national registrations. While registrations from EU nationals remain the majority of registrations, EU registrations now account for 55% of registrations in the year to June 2020, compared with 63% of registrations in the year to June 2019.

Total NINo registrations to migrants are the lowest they have been since the year ending June 2014, and registrations to EU nationals are the lowest they have been since the year ending December 2010.

Figure 5: NINo registrations in Q2 2020, compared to Q2 2019

World Area	Registrations Q2 2019	Registrations Q2 2020	Change from Q2 2019	Percentage Change from Q2 2019
EU	120,000	26,000	-96,000	-79%
Non-EU	79,000	29,000	-50,000	-63%
Total*	200,000	55,000	-150,000	-72%

Note: * The total also includes registrations of individuals whose nationality is Unknown, as such it could be greater than the sum of EU and Non-EU.

In Q2 2020 both EU and Non-EU registrations decreased when compared to Q2 2019. EU registrations decreased by 79% from Q2 of 2019 to 26,000 registrations. Non-EU registrations decreased by 63% to 29,000 registrations over the same period.

The number of registrations in Q2 2020 were the lowest there have been in a quarter since the start of the time series. EU registrations in Q2 2020 were the lowest they have been in a quarter since Q2 2003, whereas Non-EU registrations were the lowest they have been in a quarter since Q2 2014. Due to the larger decrease in EU registrations, Non-EU registrations continued to outnumber EU registrations for the second quarter in a row. Prior to 2020 the last time Non-EU registrations outnumbered EU within a quarter was Q4 2010.

In Q2 2020 EU registrations accounted for only 47% of Non-UK registrations, a decrease of 13 percentage points, from the 60% of the Non-UK registrations they accounted for in Q2 2019. From Q2 2019 to Q2 2020, registrations to EU and Non-EU nationals saw the largest decrease between the same quarter year on year since the start of the time series.

EU NINo services have been more heavily disrupted than Non-EU NINo services by the COVID-19 pandemic, this is due to the suspension of the ‘Evidence of Identity’ interview which EU applicants must attend. The VISA postal NINo application process was reinstated on 1 June 2020, after being suspending in March 2020, all of these applications will have been by Non-EU nationals.

5. EU Registrations

5.1 Long term trends and changes in EU Registrations

Figure 6: Number of NINo registrations to EU subgroups by year to June 2020

Source: NINo statistics data tables.

Prior to the year to June 2020:

• registrations from EU15 countries gradually increased from June 2003 until they peaked in the year ending June 2015 (with 260,000 registrations that accounted for 38% of EU registrations), and have declined since the referendum in June 2016 until they began to increase from year ending December 2018 until year ending March 2020

• registrations to EU8 citizens drove the sharp rise in EU NINo registrations in 2004, when countries from the EU8 joined the EU. EU8 registrations peaked in the year ending September 2007 (with 340,000 registrations that accounted for 71% of EU registrations), after which declined until the year ending March 2010. After a period of volatility EU8 registrations have again declined since the EU referendum

• registrations to EU2 nationals were relatively low until the removal of restrictions on work for EU2 citizens drove the sharp rise in EU registrations in 2014. Some of this reflected individuals who were residing in the UK prior to 2014 and would only have been able to register for a NINo after that date (arrival to registration analysis on EU2 nationals for more about this.) EU2 registrations peaked in the year to December 2016 (with 230,000 registrations that accounted for 37% of EU registrations) and have declined since

Figure 7: NINo registrations by EU sub-group in the year to June 2020, change from previous year and annual percentage change

EU sub-group	Registrations to Jun 2019	Registrations to Jun 2020	Change from previous year	Annual Percentage Change
EU15	190,000	150,000	-37,000	-20%
EU8	82,000	56,000	-26,000	-31%
EU2	170,000	130,000	-48,000	-28%
EU Other	6,500	4,100	-2,400	-37%
Total EU	450,000	330,000	-110,000	-25%

In the year to June 2020, there were 330,000 NINo registrations by EU nationals. Of which:

• 150,000 registrations were to EU15 nationals, a decrease of 20% since the year ending June 2019. EU15 registrations now account for 44% of EU registrations compared to 41% in the year ending June 2019. EU15 registrations to year ending June 2020 (150,000) are the lowest they have been since the year ending March 2012

• 56,000 registrations were to EU8 nationals, a decrease of 31% since the year ending June 2019. EU8 registrations now account for 17% of EU registrations compared to 18% in the year ending June 2019. EU8 registrations to year ending June 2020 (56,000) are the lowest they have been since EU8 countries joined the EU in 2004

• 130,000 registrations were to EU2 nationals, a decrease of 28% since the year ending June 2019. EU2 registrations now account for 38% of EU registrations compared to 39% in the year ending June 2019. Registrations to EU2 nationals for the year ending June 2020 (130,000) are the lowest they have been since 2014, when restrictions to EU2 nationals were lifted

• the largest number of NINo registrations were to nationals from Romania (96,000), followed by nationals from Italy (37,000), Poland (30,000), Bulgaria (30,000) and Spain (29,000) (Figure 8)

Figure 8: Top 5 EU individual nationalities by number of registrations in the year to June 2020 and annual percentage change

EU Country	Registrations	Annual Percentage Change
Romania	96,000	-30%
Italy	37,000	-26%
Poland	30,000	-31%
Bulgaria	30,000	-18%
Spain	29,000	-18%

In the year to June 2020, total EU registrations decreased by 25% from the previous year. The decrease was driven by the decrease in registrations from all EU sub-groups, particularly from the EU2 and EU15. Registrations to EU nationals are the lowest they have been since the year ending December 2010.

Figure 9a shows registrations to nationals from Sweden increased by 19% to 6,200 in the year to June 2020. Sweden was the only EU country to see an increase in registrations in this period. Figure 9b shows the countries with the largest decreases in registrations from the year to June 2019. Although registrations to these 5 nationalities saw the largest decrease within the EU from the year to June 2019, they are still the 5 nationalities with the highest number of registrations within the EU, in the year to June 2020.

The decrease in EU15 registrations was mostly the result of the decrease of registrations by nationals from Italy and Spain. The decrease in registrations to Polish nationals accounted for 54% of the decrease in EU8 registrations. The decrease in registrations to Romanian nationals accounted for 87% of the decrease in EU2 registrations.

Figure 9a: EU individual nationalities with the largest increase in registrations in the year to June 2020, change from previous year and annual percentage change

EU Country	Registrations to Jun 2019	Registrations to Jun 2020	Change from previous year	Annual Percentage Change
Sweden	5,300	6,200	+980	+19%

Figure 9b: EU individual nationalities with the largest decrease in registrations in the year to June 2020, change from previous year and annual percentage change

EU Country	Registrations to Jun 2019	Registrations to Jun 2020	Change from previous year	Annual Percentage Change
Romania	140,000	96,000	-42,000	-30%
Poland	44,000	30,000	-14,000	-31%
Italy	50,000	37,000	-13,000	-26%
Bulgaria	36,000	30,000	-6,400	-18%
Spain	35,000	29,000	-6,300	-18%

5.2. Recent changes in EU Registrations

Figure 10: Number of NINo registrations to EU subgroups by quarter to June 2020

Source: NINo statistics data tables.

Figure 11: NINo registrations by EU sub-group in Q2 2020, compared to Q2 2019

EU sub-group	Registrations Q2 2019	Registrations Q2 2020	Change from Q2 2019	Percentage Change from Q2 2019
EU15	55,000	12,000	-43,000	-79%
EU8	19,000	3,700	-15,000	-81%
EU2	46,000	10,000	-36,000	-78%
EU Other	1,600	330	-1,300	-80%
Total EU	120,000	26,000	-96,000	-79%

In Q2 2020 there were only 26,000 NINo registrations by EU nationals, the lowest number of registrations in a quarter to EU nationals since Q2 2003.

Compared to the same quarter a year ago, in Q2 2020:

• registrations to EU15 nationals decreased by 79% to 12,000 registrations, the lowest number of EU15 registrations in a quarter since the start of the time series

• registrations to EU8 nationals decreased by 81% to just 3,700 registrations, the lowest there have been in a quarter since Q2 2003 before the EU8 joined the EU in 2004

• registrations to EU2 nationals decreased by 78% to 10,000 registrations, the lowest there have been in a quarter since Q4 2013, prior to restrictions to EU2 nationals being lifted in 2014

• NINo registrations to EU15 and EU2 nationals had the largest decrease between equivalent quarters of consecutive years since the start of the time series

• the largest number of NINo registrations in Q2 2020 were to nationals from Romania (8,000), followed by nationals from Italy (2,600), Spain (2,300), Bulgaria (2,300) and from Poland (1,900) (Figure 12)

Figure 12: Top 5 EU individual nationalities by number of registrations in Q2 2020 and percentage change from Q2 2019

EU Country	Registrations	Percentage Change from Q2 2019
Romania	8,000	-78%
Italy	2,600	-83%
Spain	2,300	-77%
Bulgaria	2,300	-76%
Poland	1,900	-81%

In Q2 2020, total EU registrations decreased by 79% from Q2 2019. The decrease was driven by decreases in all EU subgroups, particularly from the EU15 and EU2.

All EU countries saw a decrease in registrations in Q2 2020 from Q2 2019, this is reflected in Figure 13. The decrease in registrations to nationals from Italy and Spain accounted for 47% of the decrease in EU15 registrations. The decrease in registrations to Polish nationals accounted for 52% of the decrease in EU8 registrations. The decrease in registrations to Romanian nationals accounted for 80% of the decrease in EU2 registrations.

Figure 13: EU individual nationalities with the largest decrease in registrations in Q2 2020, change in registrations and percentage change from Q2 2019

EU Country	Registrations Q2 2019	Registrations Q2 2020	Change from Q2 2019	Percentage Change from Q2 2019
Romania	36,000	8,000	-28,000	-78%
Italy	15,000	2,600	-13,000	-83%
Poland	9,800	1,900	-7,900	-81%
Spain	10,000	2,300	-7,800	-77%
Bulgaria	9,500	2,300	-7,300	-76%

6. Non-EU registrations

6.1. Long term trends and changes in Non-EU Registrations

Figure 14: Number of NINo registrations to Non-EU world areas by year to June 2020

In Figure 14 Non-EU subgroups with neighbouring geographies have been combined together for ease of view. Prior to the year to June 2020:

• registrations from European countries not a part of the EU (Other Europe) have remained relatively low and stable from the start of the time series to the year ending December 2018. Registrations from Other Europe increased above those from Oceania since the end of December 2017

• registrations from Asia generally increased until they peaked in the year ending December 2010 (with 220,00 registrations that accounted for 64% of Non-EU registrations), and declined until the year ending June 2014. Registrations from Asia were stable from the year ending September 2015 until the year ending December 2018, and have continued to increase since

• registrations from Africa generally decreased from the peak in the year ending March 2006 (with 74,000 registrations that accounted for 26% of Non-EU registrations) until the year ending June 2014. Registrations from Africa were stable from the year ending December 2015 until the year ending December 2018, and have continued to increase since

• registrations from the Americas turbulently increased from the year ending December 2002 until they peaked in the year ending March 2009 (with 36,000 registrations that accounted for 12% of Non-EU registrations), and then declined until the year ending June 2014. Registrations from Americas were stable from the year ending December 2015 until the year ending September 2018, where they increased until the year ending September 2019

• registrations from Oceania peaked in December 2007 (with 35,000 registrations that accounted for 11% of Non-EU registrations), and have generally declined since

Nationals from Asia have always been the largest contributor of Non-EU registrations. Amongst the other world areas, the highest contributor of registrations since 2003 are nationals from Africa, followed by those from the Americas, Other Europe and Oceania.

The noticeable increase in registrations to Non-EU nationals after September 2018 is mostly due to registration for a NINo of adult dependants as part of certain VISA approvals.

Figure 15a: NINo registrations by Non-EU world areas in the year to June 2020, change from previous year and annual percentage change

Non-EU world area	Registrations to Jun 2019	Registrations to Jun 2020	Change from previous year	Annual Percentage Change
Other Europe	23,000	27,000	+3,900	+17%
Asia	140,000	160,000	+17,000	+12%
Africa	42,000	47,000	+5,200	+12%
Americas	31,000	28,000	-3,000	-10%
Oceania	15,000	12,000	-2,900	-20%
Total Non-EU	260,000	280,000	+21,000	+8%

Figure 15b: NINo registrations by Non-EU sub-group in the year to June 2020, change from previous year and annual percentage change

Non-EU sub-group	Registrations to Jun 2019	Registrations to Jun 2020	Change from previous year	Annual Percentage Change
Other Europe	23,000	27,000	+3,900	+17%
Middle East and Central Asia	19,000	19,000	+450	+2%
East Asia	21,000	19,000	-1,600	-8%
South Asia	89,000	110,000	+18,000	+20%
South East Asia	16,000	16,000	+250	+2%
Sub-Saharan Africa	33,000	38,000	+4,500	+14%
North Africa	9,000	9,700	+740	+8%
North America	18,000	15,000	-3,400	-19%
Central and South America	13,000	14,000	+370	+3%
Oceania	15,000	12,000	+2,900	-20%
Total Non-EU	260,000	280,000	+21,000	+8%

In the year to June 2020, there were 280,000 NINo registrations by Non-EU nationals. Of which:

• 27,000 registrations were to nationals from Other Europe, an increase of 17% since the year ending June 2019. Other European registrations now account for 10% of Non-EU registrations compared to 9% in the year ending June 2019

• 160,000 registrations were to Asian nationals, an increase of 12% since the year ending June 2019. Asian registrations now account for 59% of Non-EU registrations compared to 57% in the year ending June 2019

• 47,000 registrations were to African nationals, an increase of 12% since the year ending June 2019. African registrations now account for 17% of Non-EU registrations compared to 16% in the year ending June 2019

• 28,000 registrations were to nationals from the Americas, a decrease of 10% since the year ending June 2019. Registrations from the Americas now account for 10% of Non-EU registrations compared to 12% in the year ending June 2019

• North American registrations to year ending June 2020 (15,000) experienced the largest year on year decrease in registrations since the year ending March 2010

• 12,000 registrations were to Oceanian nationals, a decrease of 20% since the year ending June 2019. Oceanian registrations now account for 4% of Non-EU registrations compared to 6% in the year ending June 2019. Registrations to Oceanian nationals to the year ending June 2020 (12,000) are the lowest they have ever been since the start of the time series

• the largest number of NINo registrations were to nationals from India (77,000), followed by nationals from Pakistan (19,000), Nigeria (13,000), China (12,000) and the United States (10,000) (Figure 16)

Figure 16: Top 5 Non-EU individual nationalities, by number of registrations in the year to June 2020 and annual percentage change

Non-EU Country	Registrations	Annual Percentage Change
India	77,000	+20%
Pakistan	19,000	+23%
Nigeria	13,000	+15%
China	12,000	-5%
United States	10,000	-20%

In the year to June 2020, registrations by Non-EU nationals increased by 8% from the previous year. The increase was the result of increases in registrations to nationals from Other Europe, Asia and Africa, with Asia having the largest increase. Total Non-EU registrations increased despite a decrease in registrations to nationals from the Americas and Oceania.

Figure 17a shows the countries which had the largest increase in registrations are primarily within the Asian, in particular South Asian, African and Other European world areas. Figure 17b shows that countries with the largest decrease in registrations are primarily in the Americas in particular North America, and Oceania.

The increase in registrations from Asia was mostly the result of the increase in registrations by nationals from India and Pakistan. The increase in registrations from Africa reflects the increase in registrations from Nigeria. The increase in registrations from Other Europe was mostly the result of the increase in registrations by nationals from Turkey and Ukraine. The decrease from the Americas was mostly the result of the decrease of registrations by nationals from the United States and Canada. The decrease from Oceania was mostly the result of the decrease of registrations by nationals from Australia and New Zealand.

Figure 17a: Non-EU individual nationalities with the largest increase in registrations in the year to June 2020, change from previous year and annual percentage change

Non-EU Country	Registrations to Jun 2019	Registrations to Jun 2020	Change from previous year	Annual Percentage Change
India	64,000	77,000	+13,000	+20%
Pakistan	16,000	19,000	+3,600	+23%
Turkey	5,800	7,600	+1,700	+30%
Ukraine	1,900	3,700	+1,700	+89%
Nigeria	11,000	13,000	+1,700	+15%

Figure 17b: Non-EU individual nationalities with the largest decrease in registrations in the year to June 2020, change from previous year and annual percentage change

Non-EU Country	Registrations to Jun 2019	Registrations to Jun 2020	Change from previous year	Annual Percentage Change
United States	13,000	10,000	-2,500	-20%
Australia	11,000	8,300	-2,300	-21%
Canada	5,000	4,100	-830	-17%
Japan	3,700	3,000	-710	-19%
New Zealand	3,900	3,200	-710	-18%

6.2 Recent changes in Non-EU Registrations

Figure 18: Number of NINo registrations to Non-EU world areas by quarter to June 2020

In Figure 18 Non-EU subgroups with neighbouring geographies have been combined together for ease of view.

Figure 19a: NINo registrations by Non-EU world areas in Q2 2020, compared to Q2 2019

Non-EU world area	Registrations Q2 2019	Registrations Q2 2020	Change from Q2 2019	Percentage Change from Q2 2019
Other Europe	7,400	2,800	-4,700	-63%
Asia	45,000	18,000	-27,000	-61%
Africa	13,000	5,000	-8,200	-62%
Americas	9,300	2,500	-6,700	-73%
Oceania	4,600	1,300	-3,300	-71%
Total Non-EU	79,000	29,000	-50,000	-63%

Figure 19b: NINo registrations by Non-EU sub-group in Q2 2020, compared to Q2 2019

Non-EU subgroup	Registrations Q2 2019	Registrations Q2 2020	Change from Q2 2019	Percentage Change from Q2 2019
Other Europe	7,400	2,800	-4,700	-63%
Middle East and Central Asia	5,500	1,600	-3,900	-70%
East Asia	6,200	1,600	-4,600	-74%
South Asia	28,000	13,000	-15,000	-54%
South East Asia	4,800	1,300	-3,500	-73%
Sub-Saharan Africa	11,000	4,000	-6,500	-62%
North Africa	2,600	950	-1,700	-64%
North America	5,000	990	-4,000	-80%
Central and South America	4,300	1,500	-2,700	-64%
Oceania	4,600	1,300	-3,300	-71%
Total Non-EU	79,000	29,000	-50,000	-63%

In Q2 2020 there were 29,000 NINo registrations by Non-EU nationals, the lowest number of registrations to Non-EU nationals in a quarter since Q2 2014.

Compared to the same quarter a year ago, in Q2 2020:

• registrations to Other European nationals decreased by 63% from Q2 2019 to 2,800 registrations

• registrations to Asian nationals decreased by 61% from Q2 2019 to 18,000 registrations

• registrations to African nationals decreased by 62% from Q2 2019 to 5,000 registrations

• registrations to nationals from the Americas decreased by 73% from Q2 2019 to 2,500 registrations, the lowest number of registrations to nationals from the Americas in a quarter since the start of the time series

• registrations to Oceanian nationals decreased by 71% from Q2 2019 to 1,300 registrations, the lowest number of Oceanian registrations in a quarter since the start of the time series

• registrations to nationals from Other Europe, Asia and Africa are the lowest they have been in a quarter since Q2 2014, when there were changes to the process of recording NINos – registrations from East Asia are the lowest they have been since the start of the time series in Q1 2002

• registrations to nationals from Other Europe and the Americas had the largest decrease between equivalent quarters of consecutive years since the start of the time series

• the largest number of registrations in Q2 2020 were to nationals from India (8,600), followed by nationals from Pakistan (2,800), Nigeria (1,500), China (1,100) and from Australia (1,000) (Figure 20)

Figure 20: Top 5 Non-EU individual nationalities by number of registrations in Q2 2020 and percentage change from Q2 2019

Non-EU Country	Registrations	Percentage Change from Q2 2019
India	8,600	-57%
Pakistan	2,800	-46%
Nigeria	1,500	-56%
China	1,100	-71%
Australia	1,000	-71%

In Q2 2020, registrations by Non-EU nationals decreased by 63% from Q2 2019. Registrations to Non-EU nationals are the lowest they have been in a quarter since Q2 2014. The decrease was the result of decrease in registrations from nationals from all world areas, particularly from Asia and Africa.

Figure 21a shows the countries which had the largest increases in registrations only had small increases and primarily had few registrations in Q2 2019. Figure 21b shows that countries which had the largest decrease in registrations were not from any one specific world area, and where countries which have previously had large numbers of registrations.

The decrease in registrations from Asia was mostly the result of the decrease in registrations from India, China and Pakistan. The decrease in registrations from Oceania was mostly the results of the decrease in registrations from Australia. The decrease in registrations from Americas reflects the decrease in registrations from the United States.

Figure 21a: Non-EU individual nationalities with the largest increase in registrations in Q2 2020, change in registrations from Q2 2019

Non-EU Country	Registrations Q2 2019	Registrations Q2 2020	Change from Q2 2019
El Salvador	30	60	+40
American Samoa	0	10	+10
Laos	0	10	+10
Norfolk Island	0	10	+10
Mali	10	10	+0

Figure 21b: Non-EU individual nationalities with the largest decrease in registrations in Q2 2020, change in registrations and percentage change from Q2 2019

Non-EU Country	Registrations Q2 2019	Registrations Q2 2020	Change from Q2 2019	Percentage Change from Q2 2019
India	20,000	8,600	-11,000	-57%
United States	3,600	620	-3,000	-83%
China	3,700	1,100	-2,600	-71%
Australia	3,400	1,000	-2,400	-71%
Pakistan	5,200	2,800	-2,400	-46%

7. Where in the UK are people registering?

Almost half of all registrations are in London or the South East.

With the exception of the North East region, all other regions saw a year on year decrease in registrations.

Registrations in Northern Ireland are the lowest they have been since the year ending March 2005 and have experienced the largest year on year decrease in registrations since the year ending March 2010.

The North West have experienced the smallest year on year percentage decrease of UK regions. As such, as a percentage of total registrations, registrations to the North West are the largest they have been since the beginning of the time series in 2002, with 8% of all registrations.

Figure 22: EU and Non-EU NINo registrations in the year to June 2020, by region

Region	Non-EU	EU
London	99,000	120,000
South East	30,000	41,000
East of England	20,000	29,000
North West	24,000	23,000
West Midlands	22,000	24,000
Scotland	18,000	20,000
East Midlands	15,000	21,000
Yorkshire and The Humber	15,000	16,000
South West	12,000	19,000
Wales	6,300	5,700
North East	7,600	4,000
Northern Ireland	1,800	5,200

Figure 23a: EU NINo registrations in the year to June 2020, by local authority at time of registration

Source: NINo statistics data tables.

Figure 23b: Non-EU NINo registrations in the year to June 2020, by local authority at time of registration

Source: NINo statistics data tables.

In figures 23a and 23b the darker areas of the maps show local authorities with higher levels of registrations.

Please note that the interactive version of the local authority map showing NINo registrations from different world areas by GB local authority, has not been updated for this publication due to a change in work environments as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Figure 24: Top 10 local authorities by number of NINo registrations in the year to June 2020

Local Authorities	Registrations
Newham	17,000
Tower Hamlets	14,000
Birmingham	14,000
Brent	13,000
Manchester	11,000
Glasgow City	11,000
Ealing	10,000
City of Edinburgh	10,000
Westminster	10,000
Haringey	9,000

8. About these statistics

Status: Official Statistics

National Insurance number (NINo) allocations to adult overseas nationals are Official Statistics. Official Statistics are produced in accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and the Code of Practice for Statistics. They meet high standards of:

• trustworthiness
• quality
• public value

World Areas

For reporting purposes, countries have been grouped into ‘world areas’ based primarily on geographical location. Countries are grouped according to current world area status for the entire back series.

World Area	Sub Group
European Union (EU)	European Union EU15 (original EU members), European Union EU8 (joined EU in 2004), European Union EU2 (joined EU in 2007), European Union Other
Non-European Union (Other Europe)	Other Europe
Asia	Middle East and Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, South East Asia
Africa	Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa
Americas	North America, Central and South America
Oceania	Oceania

A detailed nationality breakdown for each world area is available in the supplementary data tables accompanying this release.

Where to find out more

Read previous releases of these statistics.

Read further information for this series, including detail on data sources, uses, quality and limitations of the series.

Full statistics on NINo allocations to adult overseas nationals entering the UK are available from Stat-Xplore.

Please note that the interactive map showing NINo registrations from different world areas by GB local authority, has not been updated for this publication due to a change in work environments as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

View an interactive NINo dashboard showing NINo registrations by nationality for each GB region.

Read about the NINo application process.

The Migration Statistics Quarterly Report provides a comprehensive summary of the various sources of migration statistics including headline NINo statistics.

Enquires and feedback

DWP would like to hear your views on our statistical publications. If you use any of our statistics publications, we would be interested in hearing what you use them for and how well they meet your requirements: Send your comments by email to: [email protected].

Press enquiries should be directed to the DWP Press Office, telephone: 0203 267 5144.

Enquiries about these statistics should be directed by email to:

Producer of this release: [email protected]

Responsible statistician: [email protected]

ISBN: 978-1-78659-258-3