33,374 people crossed the Channel to the UK in small boats in the year to June 2026
People the Home Office recorded arriving in the UK illegally, by how they came, UK, 2018 to 2026. People a year.
Latest figures
| Series | Period | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Small boats | Year to June 2026 | 33,374 |
| Planes, without the right papers | Year to June 2026 | 2,492 |
| Found after arriving in the UK | Year to June 2026 | 1,962 |
| Found at UK ports | Year to June 2026 | 258 |
Notes
- These are people the Home Office recorded arriving in the UK without permission, found on arrival or within three days of it. The Home Office calls these illegal entry routes; it used to call them irregular migration. Many of the people go on to claim asylum.
- They don't count everyone who came into the UK illegally: people who were never found aren't in them, and nor are people stopped before they reached the UK, for example at Calais.
- Small boats are people crossing the English Channel in small boats. Planes are people who flew in without a valid passport or visa. People found at UK ports include those found in lorries and shipping containers; people found in the UK are those believed to have got past border controls.
- The Home Office warns against comparing the lines with each other: each comes from different records, and only the small boat figures are kept for statistics.
- Each point covers the 12 months up to the date shown: whole calendar years, then the 12 months to the latest quarter and to the same quarter a year before. Recent figures can change as records are updated.
Sources
More on population
- There were 585,396 live births in England and Wales in 2025, and the total fertility rate was 1.39 children per woman
- 40,168 people in the UK were waiting for a first decision on their asylum claim at the end of June 2026, and 16,021 people seeking asylum were living in hotels
- Life expectancy at birth in the UK was 79.1 years for males and 83.0 years for females in 2022 to 2024
- Net migration to the UK was 171,000 in the year to December 2025: 813,000 people moved to the UK and 642,000 moved away
- Life satisfaction in the UK averaged 7.45 out of 10 in 2022-23; worthwhile 7.73, happiness 7.39 and anxiety 3.23