In August, the UK experienced a significant decrease in small boat crossings compared to the previous months of July and June. According to data from the Home Office, there were a total of 3,567 small boat arrivals last month. This marks a notable decline from 5,454 and 5,170 arrivals in July and June, respectively. August typically sees higher numbers of arrivals compared to other summer months, making this August the quietest since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last year, August witnessed 4,149 small boat arrivals, while the numbers were 5,369 in 2023 and 8,631 in 2022, the highest on record for any month. In August 2021, there were 3,053 arrivals, and in August 2020, 1,470. The trend of reduced arrivals continued into August 2019 with only 342 small boat arrivals.
Despite the decreased activity in August, the overall summer season still saw a high volume of small boat arrivals. Between June 1 and August 31 this year, there were 14,191 arrivals, surpassing the figures from the same period in 2024 (10,604) and 2023 (12,491). The peak summer for small boat arrivals was in 2022, with a total of 15,458 arrivals during the same period.
Regarding August 2025 specifically, it ranks as the 19th busiest month for small boat arrivals on record. The busiest month remains August 2022 with 8,631 arrivals, followed by September 2022 (7,964), November 2021 (6,971), October 2022 (6,900), and July 2025 (5,454).
Despite the quieter August, this year has seen the highest number of small boat arrivals on record so far, totaling 29,003 arrivals. This surpasses the arrivals at the same point in previous years, with 21,052 in 2024, 20,101 in 2023, 25,065 in 2022, and 12,482 in 2021.