Cartoon by Jamal Rahmati

How many people cross the English Channel in small boats and how many claim asylum?

BBC: Six children and a pregnant woman were among the 12 people who died after a boat carrying migrants capsized in the biggest loss of life in the English Channel in 2024.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has promised he will take tougher measures to "smash" the people-smuggling gangs responsible.

How many people cross the Channel in small boats?

As of 4 September, 21,977 people had crossed the Channel in 2024. That is more than in the same period in the previous year, but fewer than in 2022.

In 2023 as a whole, 29,437 people came to the UK in small boats.

The 2022 total of 45,755 was the highest since figures were first collected in 2018.

Since 2018, more than 135,000 people have come to the UK by this route.

How many people die crossing the Channel?

At least 186 migrants died attempting to cross the English Channel between 2018 and September 2024, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is part of the UN, estimates.

Many of these deaths occurred in the Channel during a crossing, including 80 people known to have drowned.

But the IOM figures also include people who were travelling to a crossing point and died in other circumstances, such as car crashes or medical issues.

So far this year, 39 people have lost their lives, the highest figure for any year since 2021 (40 deaths), the IOM says.

In November 2021, at least 27 migrants died after a dinghy sank, the highest recorded number of deaths from a single incident.

Who is crossing the Channel in small boats?

The latest official statistics show that in the year to June 2024, Afghans were the top nationality crossing the Channel, making up just under a fifth of all small boat arrivals.

Iranians (13%) were the second largest group, followed by arrivals from Vietnam and Turkey, both on 10%.

About 83% of small boat arrivals in the 12 months to June 2024 were male and - where age was recorded - more than 40% were between 25 and 39 years old.

France sees Channel migrant deaths as a problem of Britain's making

How many people seek asylum in the UK?

Just over 97,000 people claimed asylum in the year to the end of June 2024, according to the most recent figures.

The number of annual applications for asylum - including dependants - peaked at about 103,000 in 2002, as people fled conflicts in Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq.

Claims then fell sharply, dropping to a 20-year low of 22,600 in 2010.

However, numbers rose again throughout the 2010s, as refugees fled Syria.

In 2022, the number of applications reached almost 100,000 again.

Where do UK asylum seekers come from?

In the year to June 2024, the largest overall number of UK asylum seekers came from Afghanistan - 9,342.

Other big countries for applications were Iran, Pakistan, Vietnam, India, and Bangladesh.

In 2022, Albanians were the top nationality with more than 17,300 people (including dependants) claiming asylum. Three-quarters arrived on small boats.

Ukrainian refugees who came to the UK after Russia's invasion of their country are not included in these figures.

As at 26 August 2024, 262,700 visas had been issued to Ukrainian refugees who have come through legal routes set up by the UK government.

There are separate arrangements for a few other specific groups to come to the UK, such as some Afghan refugees and Hong Kong citizens >>>