Small boat arrivals (English Channel)

Source: Home Office, series Migrants detected crossing the English Channel in small boats (daily table SB_01, weekly table SB_02). Last-7-days table updated every day; .ods time series from 1 January 2018 updated each Friday. Machine route: the GOV.UK Content API (no key) returns the page as JSON with the daily table in details.body; https://www.gov.uk/api/content/government/publications/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats lists the current .ods time-series attachment URL, which changes each week

What it measures

This figure counts people detected crossing the English Channel in small boats, such as inflatable dinghies, without permission to enter the UK, either on arrival in the UK or after being intercepted at sea and brought ashore. The Home Office publishes the number of people and boats for each day. It does not include people who arrive by other irregular routes, such as hidden in vehicles, or anyone who arrives undetected. The daily figures are provisional operational data; finalised figures are published quarterly in the Home Office's Immigration system statistics.

How to read it

Crossings depend heavily on weather and sea conditions, so daily and weekly numbers swing sharply; days with zero arrivals are common in bad weather. Compare the same period across years, such as January to September, rather than one week with another. The Home Office notes that the provisional figures can change, including downwards. Small boat arrivals are a small part of total immigration and are not the same as asylum claims or net migration, which are published separately. The Home Office also publishes weekly figures for crossings prevented by French authorities.

Background

The Home Office daily time series starts on 1 January 2018. Summing its daily figures gives 299 arrivals in 2018 and more than 45,000 in 2022, the highest calendar year in the series; finalised annual totals in Immigration system statistics may differ slightly from the provisional sums. Weekly data on prevented crossings by French authorities have been published from 29 April 2024.

Other parts of the UK

Home Office Immigration system statistics (finalised quarterly figures)

How many people have crossed the Channel in small boats this year?

The Home Office time series gives the number of people arriving each day since 2018, updated every Friday, so you can total the current year to date. The last-7-days page is updated daily. Figures are provisional and may be revised; the quarterly Immigration system statistics give the finalised totals.

How many people arrive in each small boat?

The Home Office publishes the number of boats as well as the number of people each day, so you can work out the average per boat for any period. Its quarterly statistics also report the average number of people per boat. Averages vary with weather and the types of boat used.

Where do small boat arrivals come from?

The daily figures do not give nationalities. The quarterly Immigration system statistics break down small boat arrivals by nationality, age and sex, and show how many went on to claim asylum. Check the latest quarterly release and the period it covers.

Related questions

• How many small boats crossed the Channel today?
• How many asylum applications does the UK receive?
• How many asylum seekers are in hotels?
• What is net migration to the UK?

More on this source: Home Office statistics (immigration, borders and policing)