UK asylum statistics
Home Office annual statistics on asylum in the UK since 2010: people claiming asylum, initial decisions with grants, refusals and withdrawals, the grant rate for main applicants, people and cases awaiting an initial decision at year end, asylum seekers receiving Home Office support (and those housed in hotels) at year end, and asylum-related returns.
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claims and decisions4 | |||||||||||||||||
| People claiming asylum | 101,911 | 104,764 | 87,427 | 95,007 | 57,942 | 37,603 | 45,537 | 38,483 | 34,435 | 39,357 | 39,968 | 32,344 | 29,875 | 27,978 | 25,898 | 22,644 | |
| People receiving an initial decision2 | 135,740 | 86,641 | 91,556 | 22,790 | 17,866 | 18,477 | 28,575 | 28,969 | 27,850 | 31,011 | 38,147 | 25,883 | 22,556 | 21,859 | 22,794 | 26,452 | |
| Grants of protection or other leave | 55,117 | 40,753 | 61,478 | 17,274 | 12,953 | 8,973 | 15,080 | 10,097 | 8,564 | 9,944 | 13,945 | 10,101 | 8,638 | 7,797 | 7,184 | 6,444 | |
| Refusals | 80,623 | 45,888 | 30,078 | 5,516 | 4,913 | 9,504 | 13,495 | 18,872 | 19,286 | 21,067 | 24,202 | 15,782 | 13,918 | 14,062 | 15,610 | 20,008 | |
| Claims withdrawn | 18,302 | 20,123 | 25,011 | 4,582 | 2,692 | 2,737 | 3,563 | 3,516 | 3,417 | 3,218 | 3,162 | 2,515 | 2,555 | 2,302 | 2,608 | 3,059 | |
| Grant rate at initial decision (main applicants) | 42.07 | 47.27 | 67.23 | 75.86 | 72.23 | 46.34 | 51.99 | 32.87 | 31.87 | 34 | 39.9 | 41.2 | 37.72 | 36.12 | 32.51 | 25.65 | |
| Claims awaiting a decision2 | |||||||||||||||||
| People awaiting an initial decision (year end) | 64,426 | 124,802 | 128,786 | 160,919 | 100,564 | 64,895 | 51,228 | 35,855 | 29,522 | 27,857 | 22,147 | 22,898 | 18,172 | 12,816 | 8,857 | 7,240 | |
| Cases awaiting an initial decision (year end) | 48,723 | 90,686 | 95,252 | 132,182 | 81,978 | 51,321 | 40,032 | 27,256 | 22,234 | 21,475 | 18,111 | 17,067 | 13,628 | 9,871 | 6,800 | 5,978 | |
| Asylum support2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Asylum seekers in receipt of support (year end) | 107,003 | 112,187 | 111,132 | 110,171 | 84,457 | 64,041 | 50,091 | 50,426 | 46,652 | 45,152 | 40,169 | 36,223 | 29,487 | 21,249 | 21,856 | 22,689 | |
| Asylum seekers accommodated in hotels (year end) | 30,657 | 38,054 | 45,744 | 45,753 | |||||||||||||
| Asylum-related returns2 | 12,396 | 9,528 | 6,513 | 2,825 | 1,566 | 1,565 | 3,167 | 3,971 | 5,149 | 5,116 | 5,696 | 6,865 | 8,928 | 9,026 | 10,374 | 10,563 | |
| Asylum-related returns, enforced | 3,429 | 2,637 | 1,992 | 579 | 346 | 512 | 1,364 | 2,122 | 3,001 | 2,978 | 3,513 | 4,866 | 6,455 | 5,804 | 6,289 | 6,771 | |
| Asylum-related returns, voluntary | 8,967 | 6,891 | 4,521 | 2,246 | 1,220 | 1,053 | 1,803 | 1,849 | 2,148 | 2,138 | 2,183 | 1,999 | 2,473 | 3,222 | 4,085 | 3,792 |
Latest reading
People claiming asylum stood at 101,911 People in 2025. That is −2.7% from 2024. The series on this page is annual and runs from 2010 to 2025. Source: Home Office — Immigration system statistics.
- Latest
- 101,911 People
- 2025
- vs previous period
- −2.7%
- 2024
About this data
Home Office annual statistics on asylum in the UK since 2010: people claiming asylum, initial decisions with grants, refusals and withdrawals, the grant rate for main applicants, people and cases awaiting an initial decision at year end, asylum seekers receiving Home Office support (and those housed in hotels) at year end, and asylum-related returns.
Frequently asked questions
- What do these UK asylum statistics measure?
- These UK asylum statistics measure the annual flow of people claiming asylum, initial Home Office decisions, claims awaiting a decision at year end, supported asylum seekers and asylum-related returns.
- How often are these UK asylum data published and how far back do they go?
- The Home Office publishes these UK asylum statistics annually within its immigration system statistics, and the series in this table track annual outcomes since 2010.
- How is the UK asylum initial grant rate calculated?
- The UK asylum grant rate measures grants of protection or other leave at initial decision as a percentage of all initial decisions made on main applicants in the year.
- What accommodation and support breakdowns are available?
- The series report both total asylum seekers receiving Home Office support at year end and the number accommodated in hotels, alongside figures for people and cases awaiting an initial decision.
