Track UK's latest migration numbers - net migration, visas, asylum and small boats
Use our interactive tracker to explore the latest migration statistics for the UK
UK net migration has dropped to the lowest level, outside of the Covid pandemic, since 2012.
How does that sit alongside other key migration measures, including asylum applications, small boat arrivals and visas granted?
Scroll down to find out more about the latest key figures, and get answers to key questions on a range of topics.
Between 1 January and 5 October 2026, a total of 20,478 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France. This was down by 40% on the same period the previous year.
These crossings have become the most common way for people to be detected entering the UK illegally since 2020.
Nearly all those who arrive by small boat claim asylum. Under international law, this means they are allowed to stay in the country while their asylum application is considered.
Small boat arrivals made up 40% of asylum applications between July 2025 to June 2026.
Boats that arrived in the UK from 6 October 2025 to 5 October 2026 carried an average of 68 people. This has more than doubled since 2021.
Experts say overcrowding in boats makes crossings riskier . At least 84 people died while attempting to cross the Channel in 2024, according to the United Nations (UN).
When looking at the scale of small boats crossings, the number of these arrivals is about 5% of the size of total immigration into the UK from January 2025 to December 2025.
The government has pledged to âsmash the gangsâ behind these crossings in order to reduce the numbers.
People from Eritrea accounted for 18% of all arrivals from July 2025 to June 2026.
In the latest figures covering January 2025 to December 2025, at least 2,335 people who arrived by small boat were found to be potential victims of human trafficking or other forms of modern slavery, according to the Home Office.
Another 4,712 people were detected entering the UK without permission via other methods including hiding in vehicles, travelling on ferries or through airports from July 2025 to June 2026. This was down by 17% on the same period the previous year.
There are also individuals who arrive legally, for example via a work or study visa, and then overstay their limit.
The total number of people who live in the UK illegally after arriving legally is not known.
An asylum seeker is someone who wants to be in the UK because they say they cannot live safely in their own country due to persecution or violence.
The government must house an asylum seeker if they cannot financially support themselves while their claim is being considered. There were 89,089 people in asylum accommodation as of June 2026.
About 18% of those people, 16,021, were in hotels. These are used when there is not enough shared housing available, such as houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) or former military sites .
The government has pledged to stop the use of hotels by 2029.
More people are in hotels across the south of England than elsewhere in the UK, while HMOs are more common in the north of England and Scotland.
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Type in a postcode or the name of a local council below to see how many asylum seekers are housed in the area
A total of 85,891 people applied for asylum in the UK from July 2025 to June 2026. This was down by 21% on the same period in the previous year.
Most people who arrive in the UK by small boat claim asylum, but they were only 40% of all asylum seekers from July 2025 to June 2026.
The rest include people who arrived by other illegal means or who came to the UK legally and applied for asylum while holding, or just after holding, a valid visa.
It can take years for the government to decide whether someone should be granted asylum.
In June 2026, 40,168 people - across 32,401 asylum applications - were waiting for an initial decision. The number of people awaiting an initial decision was down by 56% on the previous year.
As of June 2026, a further 90,341 refused asylum applications were part of a second backlog, waiting the outcome of an appeal in the courts. This was up by 51% on the previous year.
Together, these initial decision and appeal cases form the governmentâs total asylum applications backlog, which it has pledged to clear .
Refugee status was granted in about 38% of asylum decisions made by the Home Office from July 2025 to June 2026.
About 39% of asylum appeal cases concluded between January 2026 to December 2026 resulted in a previous refusal decision being overturned.
The government requires people who are in the UK, but no longer have permission to live or work in the country, to leave.
This is called a return and can happen voluntarily or involuntarily.
People can lose the right to be in the UK for different reasons, such as a visa expiring, an asylum claim being refused, or by receiving a criminal conviction that results in deportation.
There were 40,605 returns from July 2025 to June 2026. This was up by 8% on the same period the previous year.
That number of returns is equivalent to about 6% of total emigration from the UK from January 2025 to December 2025.
5,962 had been convicted of a criminal offence 12,568 had lodged an asylum claim at some point 3,310 had arrived in the UK by small boat
People from India made up 27% of all returns from July 2025 to June 2026.
The UK is trialing a scheme with France to return people who arrived in the country on a small boat.
