Overview

• Eritreans accounted for 20% of migrants crossing the Channel in Q1 2025, with 1,291 arrivals, marking the first time they have led nationality statistics.
• The cumulative number of small boat arrivals in 2025 has reached 13,573, a 37% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
• Afghans were the second-largest group in Q1 2025, making up 13% of arrivals, followed by migrants from Sudan (12%), Vietnam (8%), and Iran (8%).
• Nearly all migrants arriving in the first quarter of 2025 (99%) filed asylum claims, continuing a long-term trend of high asylum claim rates among Channel crossers.
• The UK continues to adapt bilateral agreements with countries like Vietnam and Albania to target trafficking routes and manage shifting migration patterns.