How many people cross the Channel in small boats?

A group of about a dozen people wearing life jackets who are thought to be migrants in the sea off the beach at Gravelines, France. They are waiting to board a black and white motorboat in an attempt to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Eight or nine people are already on the boat, some wearing life jackets and almost all wearing face masks. PA Media

Almost 20,000 migrants came to the UK in small boats in the first six months of 2025 - a 48% increase on the same period in 2024.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has promised to "smash the gangs" bringing migrants to the UK.

How many people cross the Channel in small boats?

Official figures show that 19,982 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats between January and June 2025.

In 2024 as a whole, nearly 37,000 people were detected making the crossing - 25% more than in 2023.

The highest yearly total is for 2022, when 45,755 people arrived.

More than 170,000 people have arrived in small boats since figures were first recorded in 2018.

A line chart showing the number of people crossing the English Channel in small boats by year between 2021 and 2025. All years tend to start with lower numbers, under 10,000 until at least June, then increase significantly between August and November. 2021 is the lowest total at about 28,000, while 2022 is the highest with more than 40,000 crossings. Figures to 30 June 2025 show 19,982 crossings, which is the highest so far for that point in the year of any previous years.

What is the government doing to reduce small boat crossings?

The goverment has pledged action to tackle small boats and has warned the situation in the Channel is "deteriorating".

Under Home office proposals, suspected people smugglers will face travel bans, social media blackouts and phone restrictions.

A new offence of endangering lives at sea will carry a jail term of up to five years. Those convicted of acts in preparation for smuggling - such as buying boat parts - face up to 14 years in prison.

The remains of a small inflatable boat on the beach in Gravelines, France, following an unsuccessful attempt by people thought to be migrants to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel on 31 May 2025.PA Media

The government has toughened up rules to make it almost impossible for anyone who arrives in the UK on a small boat to become a British citizen.

Previously, refugees who entered this way could apply for citizenship after 10 years. The Refugee Council estimates at least 71,000 people will be affected.

Any offender sentenced to more than a year in prison can currently be refused asylum and deported under the Refugee Convention.

The government wants to extend this to include any asylum seeker convicted of sexual offences.

Ministers are spending £150bn to establish a new Border Security Command, to lead on efforts to tackle small boats.

The government also wants French authorities to let police intercept so-called taxi boats in shallow waters. These cruise along the coastline, picking up people waiting in the sea.

In 2023, the previous Conservative government struck a deal to give France almost £500m over three years for extra officers to help stop migrants.

Current shadow home secretary Chris Philp blamed the increase in crossings on Labour "tearing up" the previous Conservative government's plan to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda shortly after it took office.

"This is the worst year on record, and it's become a free-for-all," he added. The boats keep coming."

How many people die crossing the Channel?

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), a UN agency, tracks the number of people who die attempting to cross the Channel.

Its figures include people who were travelling to a crossing point and died in other circumstances, such as car crashes or because of medical issues.

The IOM estimates that at least 82 migrants died in 2024, making it the deadliest year on record.

At the end of June it said that at least 18 people had died on this route in 2025. That takes the total number of migrants who have lost their lives since 2018 to 247.

The Refugee Council has said that the dangers of crossings have increased, with more people crammed into less seaworthy boats.

Who is crossing the Channel in small boats?

Afghans were the top nationality arriving by small boat in the year to March 2025, according to Home Office figures.

Syrians made up the second largest group, followed by people from Iran, Vietnam and Eritrea.

These five nationalities accounted for 61% of all arrivals.

In 2024, almost one third of the 108,000 people who claimed asylum in the UK arrived on a small boat.

The Home Office can remove people with no legal right to stay in the UK, or refuse to let them enter.

Between 2018 and December 2024, 4,995 people who came to the UK in small boats were returned to their home country - about 3% of the total.

Bar chart showing the nationality of small boat migrants recorded in the year to March 2025. Most came from Afghanistan, followed by Syrians, Iranians, and then arrivals from Vietnam and Eritrea. There is also an entry for "others" and for those migrants whose nationality was not recorded.

How do UK small boat arrivals compare with those to Europe?

There were more than 180,000 arrivals by sea in Europe during 2024, with Italy receiving more than a third.

Greece and Spain also received large numbers.

Bar chart showing the number of refugee and migrants arriving by boat in the UK, Italy, Greece and Spain each year between 2019 and November 2024. The biggest total was seen in 2023, followed by 2022. The 2024 total to November is the second highest.

In the year ending September 2024, 1.1 million people claimed asylum in the EU and European Economic Area (EEA), down 3% compared with the previous year.

Germany received the most applicants - 294,415. France was second (162,390) followed by Italy (162,305) and Spain (161,470).

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