Eritrean, Sudanese, Afghan and Somali nationals accounted for a significant share of people detected arriving in the United Kingdom by small boats across the English Channel, according to the latest UK government immigration statistics.
Figures for the year ending June 2026 show that Eritrean nationals represented 18% of small-boat arrivals, making them the largest recorded nationality group. Sudanese nationals accounted for 13%, followed by Afghans at 13%, while Somalis represented 12% of arrivals.
The figures relate to people detected arriving by small boats rather than all forms of irregular migration to the UK. Government data recorded 32,234 small-boat arrivals in the year ending June 2026 for which nationality information was available.
The UK government says many people making the crossing travel through Europe before reaching the French coast, from where people-smuggling networks arrange attempts to cross the English Channel to Britain.
The latest figures have emerged as the issue of small-boat crossings continues to generate political and public debate in Britain and across Europe, with governments facing pressure to reduce irregular migration and disrupt the criminal networks facilitating Channel crossings.
The issue was brought into sharper focus over the weekend when a small boat carrying about 140 migrants was intercepted in the English Channel and brought ashore in Portsmouth on England’s south coast. The boat had travelled from the Normandy area of France, with the journey described by authorities and media reports as an unusually long route for a Channel crossing.
The arrival triggered a large anti-migrant demonstration in Portsmouth, with hundreds of protesters gathering near Eastney Marina and attempting to prevent authorities from transporting the migrants to a processing facility in Kent. Police subsequently imposed a dispersal order as tensions continued into the night.
The UK government condemned disorder surrounding the protests while maintaining that peaceful protest remains a democratic right. Authorities also said emergency services and Border Force had been involved in safely managing the arrival and subsequent processing of the migrants.
The latest nationality figures also show changing patterns in Channel migration. The number of Somali nationals arriving by small boat in the year ending June 2026 rose to 3,901, an increase of 76% compared with the previous year, according to the UK government. Eritrean arrivals stood at 5,875, while Sudanese arrivals reached 4,191.
The figures are likely to remain central to discussions between the UK and European governments as they seek to strengthen cooperation with France and other countries along migration routes and reduce the number of people attempting the dangerous Channel crossing.
Mustaqbal
