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How many

How many asylum seekers are in the UK?

93,293on asylum support, 30 June 2026

There is no single official count of asylum seekers in the UK. The closest measure is asylum support: 93,293 people were receiving Home Office accommodation, cash or both at 30 June 2026, 12% lower than a year earlier. Separately, 40,168 people were waiting for a first decision.

Figures to 30 June 2026, published 27 August 2026. Home Office quarterly statistics, next edition due by 30 November 2026. Source: Home Office, immigration system statistics: asylum support (Asy_D11).

People on asylum support, quarter end

From 31 Mar 2014 to 30 Jun 2026. A stock at each quarter end, not a count of arrivals.

93,293
123,75882,50541,253031 Mar 201430 Jun 2026Peak 30 Sep 2023
Exact values
PeriodValue
31 Mar 201431,294
30 Jun 201432,844
30 Sep 201434,465
31 Dec 201436,223
31 Mar 201536,306
30 Jun 201536,103
30 Sep 201537,729
31 Dec 201540,169
31 Mar 201641,563
30 Jun 201642,651
30 Sep 201643,716
31 Dec 201645,152
31 Mar 201744,749
30 Jun 201744,277
30 Sep 201744,956
31 Dec 201746,652
31 Mar 201848,247
30 Jun 201848,725
30 Sep 201849,536
31 Dec 201850,426
31 Mar 201951,383
30 Jun 201950,679
30 Sep 201951,062
31 Dec 201950,091
31 Mar 202050,898
30 Jun 202056,570
30 Sep 202062,909
31 Dec 202064,041
31 Mar 202161,241
30 Jun 202162,871
30 Sep 202168,747
31 Dec 202184,457
31 Mar 202285,007
30 Jun 202293,080
30 Sep 2022100,547
31 Dec 2022110,171
31 Mar 2023112,294
30 Jun 2023117,450
30 Sep 2023123,758
31 Dec 2023111,132
31 Mar 2024104,299
30 Jun 2024100,995
30 Sep 2024109,024
31 Dec 2024112,187
31 Mar 2025106,771
30 Jun 2025106,075
30 Sep 2025111,651
31 Dec 2025107,003
31 Mar 202697,519
30 Jun 202693,293
Source: Home Office, Asy_D11

What the figure counts

Asylum support is what the Home Office provides to people who have claimed asylum and would otherwise be destitute: a room, a weekly cash allowance, or both. It is a count of people at the end of each quarter, including children and other dependants.

It is not everyone in the asylum system. People who claim and support themselves are not in it, and people leave it when they are granted protection, refused and removed, or stop being eligible. The number waiting for a decision overlaps with it, so the two must not be added together.

Key figures

Contingency hotel16,021
Contingency other1,255
Dispersal accommodation69,038
Initial accommodation1,613
Other accommodation1,162
Subsistence only4,204
Peak123,75830 September 2023

Where people on asylum support live

The ten local authorities with the most people on asylum support at 30 June 2026, with the rate per 10,000 residents. Find any area.

  1. Glasgow City3,93860.2 per 10,000
  2. Birmingham2,13618.1 per 10,000
  3. Liverpool1,96138.6 per 10,000
  4. Coventry1,70046.6 per 10,000
  5. Belfast1,54043.7 per 10,000
  6. Manchester1,50925.6 per 10,000
  7. Sandwell1,46741.6 per 10,000
  8. Leeds1,36516.2 per 10,000
  9. Nottingham1,35241.5 per 10,000
  10. Leicester1,33334.8 per 10,000

How many asylum seekers are in hotels?

16,021 people were in contingency hotels at 30 June 2026, 17.2% of everyone on asylum support. Most people on support, 69,038, live in dispersal housing: ordinary flats and houses rented by the Home Office's contractors.

Is the number going up or down?

Down. 93,293 people were on support at 30 June 2026, against 106,075 a year earlier. The highest point in the published series was 123,758 at 30 September 2023.

Which areas have the most asylum seekers?

Glasgow City has the most people on asylum support, 3,938, followed by Birmingham and Liverpool. Counts favour big cities, so the rate per 10,000 residents is the fairer comparison. Every area has its own page with both.

Under 160How many asylum hotels are there in the UK?40,168How many asylum seekers are waiting for a decision?19.6%93,293 on asylum support. One in five is in ten councils.20.3%The North West carries 1 in 5 people on asylum support. More than London.76%Hotels house 29% of asylum seekers and take 76% of the contract cost

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