Some 36,816 people made the journey in 2024, a jump of 25% from the 29,437 who arrived in 2023, according to provisional figures from the Home Office.

A total of 36,816 migrants crossed the English Channel to the UK in 2024, provisional government figures show. The figure is up 25% on 2023 when 29,437 people arrived in small boats.

At least 73 migrants have died trying to cross the English Channel to Britain this year, according to French authorities, making 2024 the deadliest year on record for the crossings.

This latest incident comes as 2024 is named the deadliest year on record for small boat crossings along the perilous migration route.

A total of 36,816 people were detected crossing the Channel in small boats during 2024, according to provisional figures from the Home Office. This is 25% higher than the 29,437 people who arrived in 2023, but 20% lower than the 45,774 arrivals in 2022, which was the highest for a calendar year since data on Channel crossings began in 2018.

More than 1,100 people have crossed the Channel in small boats over the Christmas period. Small boat crossings have continued in the English Channel on Saturday despite the morning’s foggy conditions.

The number of irregular migrants arriving in Britain on small boats soared in 2024, data showed Wednesday, piling pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to stem the dangerous Channel crossings. Immigration,