National Insurance numbers allocated to adult overseas nationals
National insurance numbers allocated to overseas nationals
This publication contains statistics on National Insurance Numbers (NINos) allocated to adult non-UK overseas nationals to March 2026.
These numbers provide an indication of the number of economically active foreign nationals entering an area of the UK.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) statistics show a count, by individual nationality, of the number of NINos registered to adult non-UK nationals, irrespective of the length of stay in the UK. The statistics are not a count of quarterly or annual migration or the number of adult nationals currently residing in the UK. The statistics only show the nationality of the individual at the point of registration. A NINo is required by any overseas national looking to work, claim benefits, or apply for a student loan in the UK.
Figures are based on recorded registration date on the HMRC National Insurance Recording and Pay as you Earn System, i.e. after the NINo application process has been completed. This may be a number of weeks or months after arriving in the UK.
All adult overseas nationals allocated a NINo are included irrespective of their length of stay in the UK. There is no requirement to establish how long the individual intends to remain in the UK when issuing a NINo, and therefore, these statistics should not be used alone as a measure of migration to the UK.
NINo statistics may include foreign nationals who have already been in the country but who have not previously registered for a NINo. Individual registrations are only counted once, therefore migrants who may have subsequently returned from abroad e.g. seasonal workers, are not issued a new NINo.
The narrative in this publication focuses on the number of registrations for 12 month ending totals, allowing a focus on longer periods of time, without seasonal variation.
Both quarterly and annual numbers are available via Stat-Xplore.
Figures within this release have been rounded by DWP in line with their rounding policy. These numbers may not sum due to rounding, and should therefore be considered as approximate and indicative rather than precise values. This is particularly true for the putative values provided for the two Unitary councils, since these numbers have been derived simply by summing the reported values of their predecessor District and Borough councils.
Headline figures for Surrey
The latest year (to March 2026) shows 6,838 NINos issued to migrants with addresses placing them within Surrey. A long-term history of NINo issues is presented in the chart beneath. Surrey patterns closely mirror national patterns, with a minimum in 2020/21 coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic and lowered international movement. Within the county, the most NINos issued in a single year came in 2022/23 at 16,570, with annual reductions subsequently. The latest 2025/26 year is the lowest number of issues in two decades (other than the pandemic year).
Estimated values for the number issued in Unitary councils are: 2,131 (East Surrey) and 4,705 (West Surrey).
Guildford regularly has the highest number amongst local councils, due primarily to the location of overseas University students.
Of those NINo issued in the year to March 2026, the majority were to nationals of Asian countries (56%), with 10% from the EU, 8% from other non-EU European countries, and 25% from the "Rest of the World".
The following table depicts the numbers of NINos issued in Surrey to foreign nationals in 2025/26 by the broad group of their area of origin.
Values are taken from DWP Stat-Xplore, and reported values are subject to DWP rounding methodologies - individual data values within rows and columns do not therefore exactly add up to the "totals" released. Percentages for each area, and the estimated values for the two Unitary authorities are therefore indicative rather than precise.
Council area | European Union | Non-European Union (Other Europe) | Asia | Rest of the World | Other / unknown | Total | % European Union | % Non-European Union (Other Europe) | % Asia | % Rest of the World | % Other / unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Elmbridge | 110 | 77 | 209 | 194 | 8 | 601 | 18% | 13% | 35% | 32% | 1% |
Epsom and Ewell | 45 | 22 | 241 | 98 | 19 | 419 | 11% | 5% | 58% | 23% | 5% |
Guildford | 133 | 86 | 1,210 | 347 | 31 | 1,806 | 7% | 5% | 67% | 19% | 2% |
Mole Valley | 26 | 9 | 89 | 67 | 5 | 194 | 13% | 5% | 46% | 35% | 3% |
Reigate and Banstead | 48 | 46 | 263 | 209 | 11 | 576 | 8% | 8% | 46% | 36% | 2% |
Runnymede | 80 | 65 | 339 | 149 | 7 | 643 | 12% | 10% | 53% | 23% | 1% |
Spelthorne | 44 | 60 | 430 | 164 | 11 | 708 | 6% | 8% | 61% | 23% | 2% |
Surrey Heath | 29 | 29 | 228 | 97 | 13 | 391 | 7% | 7% | 58% | 25% | 3% |
Tandridge | 22 | 21 | 221 | 77 | .. | 341 | 6% | 6% | 65% | 23% | .. |
Waverley | 50 | 62 | 206 | 120 | 7 | 441 | 11% | 14% | 47% | 27% | 2% |
Woking | 63 | 91 | 364 | 182 | 9 | 716 | 9% | 13% | 51% | 25% | 1% |
Surrey TOTAL | 652 | 579 | 3,799 | 1,688 | 126 | 6,838 | 10% | 8% | 56% | 25% | 2% |
East Surrey (summed) | 251 | 175 | 1,023 | 645 | 43 | 2,131 | 12% | 8% | 48% | 30% | 2% |
West Surrey (summed) | 399 | 393 | 2,778 | 1,059 | 78 | 4,705 | 8% | 8% | 59% | 23% | 2% |
See the DWP report here for further details on methodology, data, and latest values: National Insurance numbers allocated to adult overseas nationals to March 2026 - GOV.UK