According to the UK Home Office, 41,472 migrants arrived in the UK by small boat across the English Channel in 2025. This is the second highest figure since records began in 2018 and the highest in the last three years.
The number of crossings increased by 13% compared to 2024 (36,816 arrivals) and by 41% compared to 2023 (29,437). The absolute record remains in 2022, when 45,774 arrivals were recorded.
For most of 2025, crossing rates were at record levels, but in the last two months of the year, they dropped significantly due to bad weather. From November 15 to December 12, there were no crossings recorded — a 28-day hiatus. The last arrivals occurred on December 22, and there were no crossings on New Year’s Eve.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The number of small boat crossings is shameful, and the British people deserve better. We have already deported nearly 50,000 people who are in the country illegally, and thanks to a historic agreement with France, migrants are now being returned.”
At the same time, human rights organizations emphasize that most migrants are fleeing war and persecution in countries such as Afghanistan and Sudan.
The data is based on official Home Office statistics published on January 1, 2026.