The ONS analysis of Census 2021 reports housing tenure by country of birth. It states that "Private rented housing levels, by country of birth group, were highest for EU-born at 53%, followed by non-EU-born (36%), and were lowest in the UK-born population (16%). Social rented housing levels were similar across the populations, although slightly lower for EU-born." The same section notes that compared with 2011, "across all country of birth groupings, home ownership has decreased while private renting has increased and social renting has remained broadly stable." This implies that, at England and Wales level, the share living in social rented housing is not markedly higher for the non‑UK‑born than for the UK‑born, and that EU‑born may even have a slightly lower rate.

The briefing states: "In 2021, 15% of people living in social housing were born outside the UK, slightly lower than the foreign-born share of the UK population." It continues: "Migrants were less likely to live in social housing than the UK born (9% vs 17%) according to 2019-2021 data." This provides a direct comparison between foreign‑born and UK‑born residents’ likelihood of living in social housing.

Full Fact, using ONS Census 2021 data for London, reports: "The picture for London as a whole looks a lot lower, with 48% of social housing in the capital occupied by people describing themselves as born outside the UK." It specifies that "In total, 376,754 ‘household reference people’ who lived in social housing (either through a local council or housing association) in London said they were born outside the UK, compared to 414,205 who were born in the UK." The article clarifies that the census records people "born outside of the UK" rather than foreign nationals, so these residents may hold UK nationality and often a UK identity.

This statistical collection provides English Housing Survey tables on social and private renters, including breakdowns by 'nationality' and 'country of birth'. The tables show the proportion of social renters who are UK-born versus non-UK born and UK nationals versus non‑UK nationals, and the share of each group living in the social rented sector. Recent releases (for example, 2022-23) enable direct comparison of the likelihood of living in social housing for UK-born and non‑UK‑born residents in England.

Using English Housing Survey data for the 2 years to March 2023, the page states: "in the 2 years to March 2023, 17% of households in England lived in social housing – this means they rented their home from a local authority or housing association." It highlights that "across all income bands, White British households were less likely to rent social housing than households from all other ethnic groups combined." While this is by ethnicity rather than migrant status, it shows minority groups—among whom migrants are over‑represented—have higher social renting rates than the White British majority.

Analysis of Labour Force Survey data in this review shows: "Among UK-born heads of households, an estimated 74 percent are owner occupiers, 17 per cent live in social housing and 7 percent are private tenants." In contrast, "of foreign born people who have arrived in the UK in the past five years, about 17 per cent are owner-occupiers, 11 percent live in social housing and 64 per cent are private tenants." The report concludes: "New migrants to the UK over the last five years make up less than two per cent of the total of those in social housing. Some 90 per cent of those who live in social housing are UK born." It also states that there was "no evidence that social housing allocation favours foreign migrants over UK citizens."

Analysing Office for National Statistics 2021 Census data, PA writes: "Across all residents, more than 1.3 million UK-born people were living in social housing in London in 2021, compared to 525,000 who were born overseas." It adds that analysis of the Annual Population Survey between 2019 and 2021 by Oxford’s Migration Observatory "found there were 679,000 foreign-born people living in social housing in London, compared to more than 1.2 million people who were born in the UK." PA concludes that census figures "suggest foreign-born tenants are not using an outsized proportion of the housing stock."

Official statistics on new lettings report: "Most lead tenants in 2021/22 were UK nationals (90%)." It adds that "European nationals comprised 5% of lead tenants with the remaining 5% from nations outside the European Economic Area (EEA)." The document notes this is "similar to the composition of nationalities in the English population" and provides evidence on nationality of social housing tenants rather than country of birth.

ONS provides overall tenure context: "Of the 25.4 million dwellings in England, 62.4% (15.9 million) were owner occupied, 20.8% (5.3 million) were privately rented, and 16.7% (4.2 million) were socially rented, in 2023." This shows the baseline size of the social rented sector in which both UK‑born and migrant households are located, although the table is not disaggregated by migrant status.

The Chartered Institute of Housing writes: "Migrants are often blamed for housing shortages, but the truth is they stand less of a chance of getting social housing than people born in the UK." It notes that many migrants "are not eligible for social housing at all" and that where they are eligible, "UK-born applicants are still more likely to be allocated a social home than migrants with comparable needs."

This study using UK household survey data reports that immigrants have distinct tenure patterns relative to natives: "Immigrants are less likely to be homeowners and more likely to rent than the UK-born." It finds that, controlling for other factors, some immigrant groups are more likely than comparable UK-born individuals to live in social or private rented housing, but the probability varies with age at arrival, length of residence and region.

The ONS Census 2021 dataset ST008 provides "estimates that classify non-UK born short-term residents in household spaces in England and Wales by tenure." It defines rented accommodation as either "private rented" or "social rented through a local council or housing association" and allows comparison of social-rented tenure shares among non-UK-born short-term residents with those of the general population across tenure categories.

This Census 2021 analysis explains that social rented accommodation is one of the main tenure categories in England and Wales and provides breakdowns of tenure by various household characteristics. It notes, for example, that certain household types, ethnic groups and age structures have higher rates of social renting, but the article does not directly cross-tabulate tenure by country of birth; that information is contained in underlying Census datasets that distinguish owner-occupied, private rented and social rented tenures.

This paper describes the UK tenure structure, stating: "The UK has three main housing tenures; owner-occupied housing (either owned outright or being purchased with a mortgage); what is now termed 'social rent' (local authority or housing association); and private rent." While focused on disability, it uses ONS and survey data to model social renting and other tenures across the UK, providing context for interpreting how different population subgroups, including migrants, may be distributed across these tenures in other studies.

Drawing on the English Housing Survey, the report notes that tenure patterns by ethnicity differ from the White majority: "In general, people aged 50-69 from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds in England are much less likely to own their home outright without a mortgage and more likely to be renting than people in the White ethnic group." It further states that the situation is worst for Black groups, who are "more than twice as likely to be renting". While not directly about migrant status, it supports evidence that groups with higher shares of migrants are more reliant on rented housing, including social renting.

The official social housing lettings statistics for England include breakdowns by nationality of the "lead tenant". They show that in 2023/24, the large majority of new social housing lettings were to UK nationals, with non‑UK nationals accounting for a minority of new lets. The publication notes that eligibility rules limit access for certain categories of non‑UK nationals, and that the data "should not be interpreted as showing that foreign nationals are more likely than UK nationals to live in social housing," as it only covers new lettings, not the full stock of existing tenants.

The article critiques claims that nearly half of London’s social housing is occupied by migrants. It notes that 2021 Census data show 376,754 household reference persons in London social housing out of 790,959 were born outside the UK (48%), but that "it doesn’t follow that 48 per cent of all London social housing occupants were born outside the UK." Citing PA Media’s analysis of census data, it states: "more than 1.3 million UK-born people were living in social housing in London compared to about 525,000 who were born overseas" and estimates that once naturalised citizens are considered, "less than 15 per cent" of occupants are non‑UK passport holders.

Multiple academic and policy studies over the 2000s and 2010s have consistently found that, at UK national level, foreign-born residents are less likely than UK-born residents to live in social housing once age, income and time in the country are controlled for. These studies also find that migrants are more concentrated in private renting and often face legal eligibility barriers to accessing social housing, particularly in the years immediately after arrival.