The Home Office has verified that more than 41,000 individuals arrived in the UK via small boats in 2025.
Statistics indicate that 41,472 people undertook the risky journey, marking a 13% increase from the previous year’s 36,816 entries but falling below the peak of 45,774 in 2022. The number of small boat crossings has significantly escalated since 2018 when only 299 arrivals were recorded.
In a report by The Mirror, it was revealed that at least 36 individuals lost their lives attempting to reach the UK from France in 2025, a decrease from the 78 fatalities in 2024. Among the victims were a mother and her daughter, identified as Kazaq Ezra, 40, and Agdad Hilmi, eight, tragically crushed on a small boat in May.
The data highlights that the highest number of arrivals, 1,195 people, occurred on May 31. The government has introduced various measures to reduce these crossings, including significant alterations to asylum protections and a pact with France to return migrants on a one-in-one-out basis.
Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, remarked, “Most individuals embarking on these journeys have fled oppressive regimes such as the Taliban in Afghanistan and violent civil conflicts in nations like Sudan.
“No one undertakes a perilous sea voyage in the Channel without a desperate need for safety in a country where they have connections with family or community. While the government aims to halt channel crossings, proposed measures penalizing refugees are deemed unjust and ineffective as deterrents.”
The Home Office disclosed on Thursday that no individuals crossed on New Year’s Eve, extending a streak of no crossings over the holiday season. For most of 2025, the influx of arrivals remained at its highest level since the inception of data on Channel crossings in 2018.
However, the pace decelerated in the final two months of the year, with extended periods of no migrant arrivals, including a continuous 28-day period from November 15 to December 12. The average number of individuals per boat rose to 62, up from 53 in 2024 and 49 in 2023.
A spokesperson from the Home Office stated, “The escalating number of small boat crossings is unacceptable, and the British public deserves better. The government is taking decisive action.
“Nearly 50,000 individuals who were in the country illegally have been deported, and our landmark agreement with France ensures that those arriving via small boats are promptly returned.”
In October, Martin Hewitt, the UK