Pakistan contributed 'largest share' of asylum seekers to UK in 2024

The United Kingdom has experienced a significant surge in asylum applications in recent years, with tens of thousands of cases still pending, according to official data.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Thursday that his government has begun formal discussions with undisclosed countries to establish offshore “return centers” for individuals who have exhausted all legal avenues to remain in the UK.

Asylum applications have tripled over the past few years. In 2024, the UK received 84,200 applications — a sharp increase from the annual average of 27,500 recorded between 2011 and 2020.

Despite the rising numbers, the UK's asylum application rate remains lower than the EU average. In 2022, the UK registered approximately 13 asylum applications per 10,000 people, compared with 25 per 10,000 in the European Union.

The proportion of asylum seekers and refugees among the UK’s migrant population rose to 11 percent in 2023, nearly double the 6 percent recorded in 2019.

Rejection rates for initial asylum applications have also shifted. In 2024, 53 percent of applications were denied, compared to 88 percent in 2004 and 24 percent in 2022. Historically, about 75 percent of rejected applicants filed appeals, with one in three succeeding.

Deportations of failed asylum seekers increased significantly in 2024, with over 9,000 individuals removed — a 36 percent rise from the previous year.

As of 2024, around 224,700 asylum cases were classified as “work in progress.” Of these, 87,200 were awaiting an initial decision, while 137,500 were pending follow-up after an initial refusal. Although this backlog has been decreasing since 2022, it remains four times higher than in 2014, largely due to extended decision times and an increase in deportation-eligible individuals.

The number of people arriving in the UK by crossing the English Channel in small boats has also surged — a route that was virtually nonexistent before 2018. Between 2018 and December 2024, approximately 148,000 migrants reached UK shores via this method. Of these, 95 percent applied for asylum, accounting for nearly 29 percent of all asylum claims during that period.

In the first months of 2025, nearly 13,000 people have already made the crossing — surpassing figures from the same period in 2024.

In 2024, the largest share of asylum seekers came from Pakistan, followed by Afghanistan. In previous years, the majority originated from Syria and Iran.