Britain has most illegal migrants in Europe, study finds

Britain is home to more illegal migrants than any other European nation, a new study has found, Report informs via The Telegraph.

There are up to 745,000 illegal migrants in the UK, accounting for one in 100 of the population, according to the research led by Oxford University experts.

This is more than double the 300,000 in France and ahead even of the upper estimate of 700,000 in Germany, which has the second-largest population of illegal migrants in Europe.

The figures were disclosed as the Home Office said 973 migrants in 17 small boats crossed the English Channel on Saturday, the biggest daily number this year.

The total number of people to cross in 2024 is 26,612, up five per cent on 2023 at the same stage, but 21 per cent behind the record 33,611 at this point in 2022.

French authorities confirmed four people died while trying to cross the Channel on Saturday, including a two-year-old boy who was “trampled to death” in a dinghy.

The Oxford researchers said they did not believe that the overall numbers had increased over recent years but said the Government should follow the example of countries such as the US and Italy, which aim to assess and record the size of their illegal migrant population.

The research will form the basis for a new public database which will bring together and assess the latest estimates of how many illegal migrants live in European countries and North America.