As of April 21, 2024, 6,265 people had crossed the Channel, an increase of nearly 25% compared to the same period in 2023.

In total, 29,437 people came to the UK via small boats in 2023, a significant decrease from the record-high 45,755 in 2022.

The UK government aims to deter people from making this journey by sending some asylum seekers to Rwanda under a new bill, which has recently been approved by parliament despite legal and political challenges.

Since 2018, approximately 120,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats to reach the UK.

In the first quarter of 2024, around 40% of these arrivals were from Vietnam and Afghanistan.

Specifically, 1,266 Vietnamese nationals and 1,216 Afghans came to the UK via this route during this period.

In 2023, Afghans were the largest nationality making up about 20% of all small boat arrivals.

Iranians (13%) and Turkish nationals (11%) were the next most common nationalities.

About 85% of small boat arrivals in 2023 were male, and nearly 20% were between 25 and 39 years old.

The International Organization for Migration estimates that at least 72 migrants have drowned in the English Channel since 2018.

In 2023, over 84,000 people applied for asylum in the UK, with approximately 45% of these being small boat arrivals.

In the previous year, around 100,000 people sought asylum, and the highest number of annual applications, including dependants, was recorded in 2002 at around 103,000, due to conflicts in Afghanistan, Somalia, and Iraq.