More than 50 people have died trying to cross the English Channel in 2024.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he will take tougher measures to “smash” the gangs smuggling people to the UK.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) wants the government to create more safe and legal ways for migrants to reach the UK, to avoid these “preventable” deaths.
How many people cross the Channel in small boats?
More than 27,500 people had crossed the Channel in 2024, as of 16 October.
The total is more than for the same period in 2023.
How many people die crossing the Channel?
The IOM has been tracking the number of people who die crossing the Channel since 2014, as part of its global “missing migrants” project.
At least 199 migrants died attempting to cross the English Channel between 2018 and October 2024, according to its estimates, including 93 known to have drowned.
The total IOM figure also includes people who were travelling to a crossing point and died in other circumstances, such as car crashes or as a result of medical issues.
It says the figure of more than 50 dead in 2024 is the highest for any year since it started recording figures.
Who is crossing the Channel in small boats?
In the year to June 2024, Afghans were the top nationality crossing the Channel, making up just under a fifth of all small boat arrivals.
Iranians (13%) were the second largest group, followed by arrivals from Vietnam and Turkey, both on 10%.
More than 80% of small boat arrivals in the 12 months to June 2024 were male and – where age was recorded – more than 40% were between 25 and 39 years old.
How many people seek asylum in the UK?
Just over 97,000 people claimed asylum in the year to the end of June 2024, according to the most recent figures.
The number of annual applications for asylum – including dependants – peaked at about 103,000 in 2002, as people fled conflicts in Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq.
Claims then fell sharply, dropping to a 20-year low of 22,600 in 2010.
However, numbers rose again throughout the 2010s, as refugees fled Syria.
In 2022, the number of applications reached almost 100,000 again.
Where do UK asylum seekers come from?
In the year to June 2024, the largest number came from Afghanistan, with applications made by more than 9,300 people.
Iran, Pakistan, Vietnam, India, and Bangladesh were among the other countries with most applications.
In 2022, Albanians were the top nationality with more than 17,300 people (including dependants) claiming asylum. Three-quarters arrived on small boats.
Ukrainian refugees who came to the UK after Russia’s invasion of their country are not included in these figures.
As at 10 September 2024, 263,300 visas had been issued to Ukrainian refugees who have come through legal routes set up by the UK government.
There are separate arrangements for a few other specific groups to come to the UK, such as some Afghan refugees and Hong Kong citizens.
How many asylum cases are waiting to be processed?
Some people wait months or even years for their claims to be considered.
At the end of June 2024 there were 85,839 cases relating to 118,882 people awaiting an initial decision.
Former Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to clear older claims by the end of 2023, but 4,500 “complex cases” were still awaiting a decision at the end of December.
How many asylum seekers does the UK send back?
How do UK small boats arrivals compare with those to Europe?
How many people apply for asylum across Europe?
In 2023, the UK had the fifth highest number of people claiming asylum in Europe.
With 329,000 applicants, Germany received more than a quarter of all first-time asylum applicants within the EU.
Spain had the second highest number (160,500) followed by France (145,000) and Italy (130,500).
In 2023, the UK government made initial decisions on 93,303 asylum applications – including people attached to them such as children or other dependents – and granted more than two thirds of them (67%).
In the same period, Germany made 217,430 asylum decisions, and granted 62%.
France – a country with a similar-sized population to the UK – made 132,695 decisions, and granted 31% of them.
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Publish date : 2024-10-19 01:36:00
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