Why Are More People Moving To Havering From Other London Boroughs And How Many Havering Residents Are Leaving?
New figures show migration is making a significant contribution to Havering’s population growth, with the borough recording a net gain of 1,717 people through internal migration and a further net gain of 1,266 through international migration in the year to June 2025.
Havering’s population has continued to grow, with the latest Office for National Statistics figures showing that migration is an important component of that increase.
In the year to June 2025, Havering recorded an estimated net internal migration gain of 1,717 people.
This means that more people moved to Havering from elsewhere in England and Wales than moved from Havering to another local authority, with the difference between the two being 1,717.
The borough also recorded an estimated net international migration gain of 1,266 people.
This is the difference between people moving to Havering from outside the UK and people leaving Havering to live abroad.
The two figures combined represent a net migration contribution of 2,983 people to Havering’s population in the year.
Natural change, which is the difference between births and deaths, contributed a further 753 people.
Taken together, these components amount to an estimated population increase of around 3,745 people.
The figures show that migration accounted for the majority of Havering’s population increase during the year, although the statistics do not mean that 2,983 individual migrants arrived in the borough.
They represent net population change resulting from migration.
This has been happening for years
The latest figures are not an isolated occurrence.
Havering has experienced periods of positive net internal migration for many years, with the borough generally gaining more people from elsewhere in England and Wales than it has lost.
There have, however, been exceptions.
The borough recorded a net internal migration gain of around 2,411 in 2014, followed by gains of around 1,845 in 2015 and 1,900 in 2016.
The figure subsequently fell, with Havering recording a small net loss in 2018 and another significant net loss during 2021.
The direction changed again, with net internal migration estimated at around 481 in 2022, 1,447 in 2023, 2,104 in 2024 and 1,717 in 2025.
The figures therefore show that population movement between Havering and other parts of the country has been a feature of the borough’s demographic picture for many years.
The ONS publishes detailed information showing movements between individual local authorities, as well as the overall movement into and out of each authority.
International migration has also contributed
International migration has also played an increasingly important role in population change.
The latest figure for Havering shows a net international migration gain of 1,266 people in the year to June 2025.
It is important to stress that this is a net figure.
It does not mean that exactly 1,266 people arrived in Havering from overseas.
Instead, it represents the balance between international arrivals and people leaving Havering to live outside the UK.
The ONS uses net migration to show the overall change in population resulting from migration, after movements in both directions have been taken into account.
People are also leaving Havering
The population figures should not be interpreted as a one-way movement into the borough.
People living in Havering also move to other parts of London, Essex and the rest of the country, while others leave the UK altogether.
The latest internal migration figure of +1,717 is therefore a balance, rather than the number of people who moved into Havering.
For the same reason, the international migration figure of +1,266 is also a balance between arrivals and departures.
The detailed ONS dataset provides the underlying figures for movements into and out of each local authority, including Havering.
Havering has previously attracted families from elsewhere
Previous Havering Council demographic work has also identified significant movement into the borough from other parts of London.
Council research has recorded substantial numbers of children moving into Havering from other London boroughs, particularly neighbouring areas.
This is significant because population movement can have an impact on demand for schools and other local services, irrespective of where people have moved from.
What does this mean for Havering’s future?
The figures come as Havering faces major decisions about future development and housing.
The borough is expected to accommodate substantial additional housing over the coming years, while residents and politicians continue to debate the capacity of local infrastructure.
Population growth can increase demand for housing, schools, healthcare, roads, public transport, parking and other services.
The latest figures do not, however, establish that new housing is being built specifically for people moving into Havering from elsewhere.
Nor do they show that people are being “placed” in the borough.
Migration is just one component of population change, alongside births, deaths and other demographic factors.
What the figures do show is that Havering has experienced significant population movement for a number of years and that migration remains an important contributor to the borough’s population growth.
In the year to June 2025, the estimated figures were:
+1,717 net internal migration
+1,266 net international migration
+753 natural change
+3,745 overall population increase
With Havering’s population continuing to rise, the figures are likely to form part of the wider debate about how the borough can accommodate future growth while ensuring that infrastructure and public services keep pace.
The ONS has made the detailed 2025 internal migration data available, allowing movements between individual local authorities to be examined in greater detail.
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