More than 200,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats since records began in 2018, new figures show.


The Home Office recorded 70 people arriving in the UK on May 8, taking the total to 200,013 in the last nine years. Calm weather conditions meant 70 people on one boat were able to make the crossing, Caliber.Az reports per BBC.


Successive governments have pledged to reduce migrant arrivals via this route and disrupt smuggling networks, but the number of small boat crossings has more than doubled in the past three years.


At least eight migrants have died while attempting the journey this year, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration and French authorities. Last year, 23 deaths were confirmed.


The rise in Channel crossings was first declared a “major incident” in 2018 after increasing use of the route by migrants. Authorities say a combination of tighter border security, disruption of other migration routes, and the growth of organised smuggling networks have contributed to the increase in small boat journeys.


The government has also pointed to so-called “red days” — periods of favourable weather conditions — and the use of overcrowded vessels as factors driving crossings.


About 128,000 crossings were recorded under Conservative governments between 2018 and 2024. Former prime minister Rishi Sunak pledged to “stop the boats” in 2022, while Labour has vowed to “smash” the people-smuggling networks responsible.


Since 2024, more than 72,000 people have arrived via the Channel. Most go on to claim asylum in the UK, although not all applications are granted.


Crossings peaked in 2022 at more than 45,000 before falling the following year and then rising again over the past three years. So far this year, more than 7,380 people have crossed, a 36% decrease compared with the same period in 2025.


A Home Office spokesperson said the government is “bearing down on small boat crossings”. They added: “The Home Secretary has signed a landmark new deal with France to boost enforcement action on beaches and put people smugglers behind bars. This builds on joint work that has stopped over 42,000 illegal migrants attempting to cross the channel since the election.


“We have removed or deported almost 60,000 people who were here illegally and are going further to remove the incentives that draw illegal migrants to this country.”


According to Home Office data, most migrants crossing between 2018 and 2025 came from Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea and Albania. However, arrivals from several African countries have increased in the past year.


People arriving from Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia “nearly trebled to 13,000 compared with 2024”, while arrivals from Sudan rose by about 60%, amid ongoing conflict and political instability.


The EU border agency Frontex has also reported rising sea arrivals from these countries across the Mediterranean.


The profile of migrants has also shifted over time. In 2022, Albanians formed the largest group, while earlier years saw more arrivals from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan, driven by conflict, repression and economic hardship.


Almost all arrivals are under the age of 40, and men and boys accounted for nearly nine in 10 crossings between 2018 and 2025.


About 95% of arrivals have claimed asylum, making up roughly a third of all asylum claims over the period. By December last year, more than 108,000 applications had been processed, with around three in five granted.


Grant rates vary widely. “Among the 10 countries with the highest number of decisions, more than 90% of applications from Yemen, Sudan and Eritrea were approved.”


Outcomes can also change over time.


“In 2022, 96% of Afghan applicants were granted asylum following the Taliban's return to power, but by 2025 this had fallen to 33% after a change in Home Office guidance suggested the security situation was no longer as severe as in previous years.”


For those refused asylum, the government may pursue returns.


“About 7,600 people who arrived by small boat have been returned from the UK since 2018,” according to official figures. The Home Office notes that “70% of those returned were from Albania.”


The government also said returns to Afghanistan have been paused due to the absence of a diplomatic mission.


By Sabina Mammadli