The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum commonly known as Brexit.
The referendum was held on 23 June 2016, asking voters whether the UK should remain a member of the EU or leave. The Leave side won with 17,410,742 votes, or 51.9%, compared with 16,141,241 votes for Remain. The result triggered the UK’s withdrawal process.
Brexit is a blend of “British” and “exit,” modeled partly on the term “Grexit.” The referendum was held across the United Kingdom and Gibraltar, although Gibraltar is not part of the UK itself. Scotland, Northern Ireland and Greater London voted mainly to remain, while England overall outside London and Wales voted to leave.
A common mix-up is the timing: the vote occurred in 2016, but the UK formally left the EU on 31 January 2020. The transition period then continued until 31 December 2020, when most EU free-movement and single-market arrangements ended.