The Numbers
The claim
"The UK takes more asylum seekers than anyone and is being swamped."
The headline facts
- The UK ranks 17th in Europe per head of population for asylum applications — not 1st
- The UK received just 8% of the EU+ total asylum applications in 2024
- Net migration fell to 171,000 in 2025 — nearly halved from 331,000 the year before
Graphic idea: European countries ranked by asylum applications per capita — UK highlighted at 17th. Replace with your finished graphic.
The full picture
In 2024 the UK received 108,138 asylum applications — the highest on record going back to 1979, and the 5th highest total number in Europe. That sounds large. But total numbers are a misleading way to compare countries of very different sizes.
Measured fairly — per head of population — the UK was the 17th largest intake in Europe, receiving just 8% of the EU+ total. Countries such as Austria, Greece, Cyprus and Germany all received significantly more relative to their populations.
Graphic idea: pie chart — "UK = 8% of EU+ asylum claims in 2024." Replace with your finished graphic.
The most recent data (year to March 2026) shows applications have since fallen to around 76,700 — a significant drop from the 2024 peak.
On overall migration, the picture is equally clear. Net migration has fallen sharply — to 171,000 in 2025, nearly halving from an updated estimate of 331,000 the year before, reaching its lowest level since early 2021. The idea that migration is endlessly rising is simply not supported by the data.
Graphic idea: line graph of net migration showing the sharp 2025 fall. Replace with your finished graphic.