How many people cross the Channel in small boats and where do they come from?

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed a deal to send some migrants who cross the Channel on small boats back to France.

For every migrant sent back, France would send an asylum seeker to the UK – potentially one with a family connection to Britain.

As at 6 July, 21,117 migrants had crossed the Channel in small boats since the start of the year – a 56% increase on the same period in 2024.

Number 10 wants to work more closely with France to reduce crossings.

The “one in, one out” deal could see about 50 migrants a week sent each way in the initial pilot, though the PM is not confirming numbers.

However critics – including the Conservatives – point out this would be a tiny proportion of those currently crossing. They question whether the scheme would deter migrants, even if the pilot was scaled up.

Speaking in the UK Parliament ahead of Thursday’s talks, Macron said the UK and France had “a shared responsibility to address irregular migration”.

He said France was “stepping up” its efforts but warned wider EU support was essential.

In 2023, the previous Conservative government agreed to give France almost £500m over three years to pay for extra officers to help stop migrants.

The current Labour government also wants French police to intercept so-called taxi boats in shallow waters. These cruise along the coastline, picking up people waiting in the sea.

Under existing Home office proposals, suspected people smugglers will face travel bans, social media blackouts and phone restrictions.

A new offence of endangering lives at sea will carry a jail term of up to five years. Those convicted of acts in preparation for smuggling – such as buying boat parts – face up to 14 years in prison.

The government has also toughened up rules to make it almost impossible for anyone who arrives in the UK on a small boat to become a British citizen.

Previously, refugees who entered this way could apply for citizenship after 10 years. The Refugee Council estimates at least 71,000 people will be affected.

Any offender sentenced to more than a year in prison can currently be refused asylum and deported under the Refugee Convention.

The government wants to extend this to include any asylum seeker convicted of sexual offences.

Ministers are also spending £150m to establish a new Border Security Command, to lead on efforts to tackle the issue.

Current shadow home secretary Chris Philp blamed the recent increase in crossings on Labour “tearing up” the Conservatives’ plan to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda.

“This is the worst year on record, and it’s become a free-for-all,” he added.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), a UN agency, tracks the number of people who die attempting to cross the Channel.

Its figures include people who were travelling to a crossing point and died in other circumstances, such as car crashes or because of medical issues.

The IOM estimates that at least 82 migrants died in 2024, making it the deadliest year on record.

At the end of June it said that at least 18 people had died on this route in 2025. That takes the total number of migrants who have lost their lives since 2018 to 247.

The Refugee Council has said that the dangers of crossings have increased, with more people crammed into less seaworthy boats.

Afghans were the top nationality arriving by small boat in the year to March 2025, according to Home Office figures.

Syrians made up the second largest group, followed by people from Iran, Vietnam and Eritrea.

These five nationalities accounted for 61% of all arrivals.

In 2024, almost one third of the 108,000 people who claimed asylum in the UK arrived on a small boat.

The Home Office can remove people with no legal right to stay in the UK, or refuse to let them enter.

Between 2018 and December 2024, 4,995 people who came to the UK in small boats were returned to their home country – about 3% of the total.

In the year ending September 2024, 1.1 million people claimed asylum in the EU and European Economic Area (EEA), down 3% compared with the previous year.

Germany received the most applicants – 294,415. France was second (162,390) followed by Italy (162,305) and Spain (161,470).