40,168 people in the UK were waiting for a first decision on their asylum claim at the end of June 2026, and 16,021 people seeking asylum were living in hotels
People waiting for the Home Office's first decision on an asylum claim, and people seeking asylum it housed in hotels, UK, 2010 to 2026. Number of people, counted at the end of each year and of the latest quarter.
Latest figures
| Series | Period | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting for a first decision: All waiting | June 2026 | 40,168 |
| Waiting for a first decision: Waiting a year or more | June 2026 | 11,014 |
| Living in hotels | June 2026 | 16,021 |
Findings
- The number waiting for an asylum decision fell by 75% from 160,919 at the end of December 2022 to 40,168 at the end of June 2026
- 16,021 people seeking asylum were living in hotels at the end of June 2026, 65% fewer than at the end of December 2022
Notes
- The first decision is the Home Office's decision to grant or refuse asylum (officially, the initial decision). People refused can appeal; people waiting for an appeal aren't counted here.
- The figures count people, including family members on the same claim. Waiting a year or more counts those who claimed at least a year before.
- From March 2023 the figures come from a new Home Office computer system, which counts claims made since March 2007. Before then they counted claims made since April 2006.
- People in hotels are people seeking asylum whom the Home Office housed in hotels, usually because other housing wasn't available. These figures start at the end of 2022.
- Each point is a count on one day: the end of each year, then the end of the latest quarter and the same quarter a year before. The latest figures can still change.
Sources
More on population
- There were 585,396 live births in England and Wales in 2025, and the total fertility rate was 1.39 children per woman
- 33,374 people crossed the Channel to the UK in small boats in the year to June 2026
- Life expectancy at birth in the UK was 79.1 years for males and 83.0 years for females in 2022 to 2024
- Net migration to the UK was 171,000 in the year to December 2025: 813,000 people moved to the UK and 642,000 moved away
- Life satisfaction in the UK averaged 7.45 out of 10 in 2022-23; worthwhile 7.73, happiness 7.39 and anxiety 3.23