Overview of statistical practice
Statistics on asylum are published as part of a package of immigration statistics on a quarterly basis by the National Statistics authority,[1] using Home Office administrative sources. Where statistics are not made available, they are requested directly from the Home Office. Difficulties have also been encountered with regard to Home Office responses to freedom of information (FOI) requests.[2] The numbers include dependants.
Applications and granting of protection status at first instance: figures for 2024
| Applicants in 2024 (1) | Pending at
end of 2024 |
Total decisions in 2024 (2) | Total rejection | Refugee status | Subsidiary protection (3) | Humanitarian protection (4) | |
| Total | 108,138 | 124,802 | 84,049 | 44,433 | 35,559 | 711 | 3,346 |
|
Breakdown by countries of origin of the total number |
|||||||
| Afghanistan | 8,508 | 10,999 | 7,011 | 2,864 | 3,938 | 111 | 98 |
| Iran | 8,099 | 8,952 | 10,678 | 3,559 | 7,029 | 56 | 34 |
| India | 5,312 | 5,379 | 2,471 | 2,420 | 24 | 13 | 14 |
| Pakistan | 10,542 | 11,637 | 5,650 | 2,746 | 2,871 | 21 | 12 |
| Türkiye | 3,019 | 5,194 | 2,560 | 2,158 | 386 | 13 | 3 |
| Eritrea | 5,053 | 3,930 | 4,895 | 623 | 4,234 | 3 | 32 |
| Bangladesh | 7,225 | 8,023 | 5,303 | 4,360 | 902 | 39 | 2 |
| Albania | 2,752 | 3,765 | 3,795 | 3,654 | 69 | 72 | 0 |
| Syria | 6,680 | 7,029 | 3,367 | 59 | 3,227 | 1 | 80 |
| Sudan | 4,833 | 4,416 | 3,968 | 38 | 3,110 | 2 | 818 |
Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics, tables Asy_D01 Asy_D02 and Asy_D03, available at: https://tinyurl.com/bdhnwfkr. Number of decisions excludes withdrawn claims, administrative outcomes and resettlement.
Note 1: “Applicants in year” refers to the total number of applicants, including dependants.
Note 2: Statistics on decisions cover the decisions taken throughout the year, regardless of whether they concern applications lodged that year or in previous years.
Note 3: The figures here are described as “other grants” in the Home Office statistics and include grants made under family and private rules where there would be a breach of Article 8 ECHR, as well as where there are other exceptional and compassionate circumstances.
Note 4: As noted in the glossary, this is referred to as humanitarian protection at the national level, and is equivalent to subsidiary protection under EU law.
Applications and granting of protection status at first instance: rates for 2024
| Overall rejection rate | Overall protection rate | Refugee rate | Subsidiary
protection rate |
Humanitarian
protection rate |
|
| Total | 53% | 47% | 42% | 1% | 4% |
| Breakdown by countries of origin of the total numbers | |||||
| Afghanistan | 41% | 59% | 56% | 2% | 1% |
| Iran | 33% | 67% | 66% | 1% | 0% |
| India | 98% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Pakistan | 49% | 51% | 51% | 0% | 0% |
| Türkiye | 84% | 16% | 15% | 1% | 0% |
| Eritrea | 13% | 87% | 86% | 0% | 1% |
| Bangladesh | 82% | 18% | 17% | 1% | 0% |
| Albania | 96% | 4% | 2% | 2% | 0% |
| Syria | 2% | 98% | 96% | 0% | 2% |
| Sudan | 1% | 99% | 78% | 0% | 21% |
Source of the percentages: calculated by the author using data in the table above, as a percentage of decisions that have been made.
Gender/age breakdown of the total number of applicants: 2024
| Adults | Children | ||
| Accompanied | Unaccompanied | ||
| Number | 87,238 | 16,795 | 4,104 |
| Percentage | 81% | 16% | 4% |
| Men | Women | |
| Number | 76,457 | 31,616 |
| Percentage | 71% | 29% |
Source: Home Office, Immigration system statistics data tables, Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets, year ending December 2024, table Asy_D01, available at: https://tinyurl.com/bdhnwfkr.
Note: The gender breakdown (Men/Women) applies to all applicants, not only adults.
First instance and appeal decision rates: 2024
It should be noted that, during the same year, the first instance and appeal authorities handle different caseloads. Thus, the decisions below do not concern the same applicants.
| First instance | Appeal | |||
| Number | Percentage | Number
(1) |
Percentage
(2) |
|
| Total number of decisions | 84,049 | 10,476 | ||
| Positive decisions | 39,616 | 47% | 47% | |
| Negative decisions | 44,433 | 53% | 53% | |
Source: Home Office, Immigration Statistics, tables Asy_D01 Asy_D02 and Asy_D03, available at: https://tinyurl.com/bdhnwfkr. Number of decisions excludes withdrawn claims, administrative outcomes and resettlement. Ministry of Justice, Tribunal statistics quarterly: October to December 2024, table FIA_3, 13 March 2025, available here.
Note 1: number of appeals determined at a hearing or on the papers.
Note 2: the Tribunal’s data on appeals allowed and dismissed is provided as a percentage only.
[1] National Statistics Authority, available here. See also Home Office, Immigration Statistics, available here.
[2] See e.g. Information Commissioner’s Office, Decision notices where a complaint has been upheld against the Home Office, available here.