More than 200 people have arrived in the United Kingdom by dinghy, data dating back to 2018, when authorities began keeping statistics.

Sky News reports that on Friday the number passed 200, marking exactly 200,013. As for 2026, so far the number of people who have entered English territory by dinghy is 7,380 this year.

In total, around 41,000 people were detected crossing the English Channel in small boats in 2025, a 13% increase compared to 2024. This was down from 2022, when a record 46,000 migrants arrived via this route. The average number of people per small boat has increased each year, from seven people per boat in 2018 to 62 people per boat in 2025.

The crossing is dangerous, with a total of 162 people dying in the Channel between 2018 and 2025. In 2025, there were 24 confirmed deaths related to Channel crossings, down from 73 the year before.

Just last week, a 16-year-old girl and a woman died while trying to cross the English Channel from France in a small boat carrying around 82 people.

Despite the recent deaths, channel crossings have been lower so far in 2026 compared to last year, when arrivals were 36% lower, and 16% lower in 2024, at the same point in the year.
Britain has tried to work with France to stop border crossings and has called for a review of the rules for seeking asylum in the UK.
United to prevent people from making the dangerous journey.

In April, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood signed a three-year deal with France to pay £662m to support beach patrols as part of efforts to tighten border crossings. She has also called for an overhaul of the asylum system to deter crossings and make it easier to deport people without the right to stay in the UK.