Arrivals
How many small boats have crossed the Channel in 2026?
20,935small boat arrivals, 1 January to 8 October 2026
20,935 people crossed the Channel in small boats between 1 January and 8 October 2026, 41% fewer than the 35,476 at the same point in 2025. The whole of 2025 saw 41,472. The Home Office publishes the count daily and updates the full series every Friday.
Small boat arrivals by calendar year
Complete years only, 2018 to 2025. 2026 is not plotted because it is not finished.
Exact values
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 299 |
| 2019 | 1,843 |
| 2020 | 8,462 |
| 2021 | 28,526 |
| 2022 | 45,755 |
| 2023 | 29,437 |
| 2024 | 36,816 |
| 2025 | 41,472 |
What the figure counts
The count is people detected arriving in the UK in small boats. The Home Office publishes it daily and revises it in a weekly time series, which is what this page uses.
The year-to-date comparison runs to the same calendar day in both years, because crossings are seasonal and a part-year against a full year would mislead. The Home Office's quarterly figure, a rolling twelve months, is a different measure and is shown separately.
Key figures
| 2026, 1 January to 8 October 2026 | 20,935 |
|---|---|
| 2025, same period | 35,476 |
| Week ending 4 October 2026 | 7349 boats |
| Year ending June 2026 | 33,374official quarterly total |
| Record year, 2022 | 45,755 |
What was the record year for small boat crossings?
2022, when 45,755 people crossed. The published series starts in 2018, when 299 people arrived this way.
What share of irregular arrivals come by small boat?
87.6% of detected irregular entry in the year ending june 2026, according to the Home Office. The rest are inadequately documented air arrivals (2,492), recorded detections in the uk (1,962) and recorded detections at uk ports (258).
How many crossed last week?
734 people in 9 boats in the week ending 4 October 2026, with 475 people prevented from crossing.