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According to government figures, 67,337 asylum applications were made in Britain in 2023, involving 84,425 people (more than one asylum seeker can be included in a single application).

The annual number of asylum applications to Great Britain peaked in 2002 at 84,132. The number then fell sharply, reaching a twenty-year low of 17,916 in 2010. It rose steadily throughout the 2010s, and rapidly from 2021 to 81,130 applications in 2022, the highest annual number since 2002.

Not all asylum applications are successful. In 2023, 33% were refused in the initial decision (not including withdrawals). The annual denial rate was highest in 2004 (88%) and lowest recently in 2022 (24%).

If an application is rejected at the initial decision, it can be appealed.

Between 2004 and 2021, approximately three-quarters of asylum seekers who were initially denied asylum appealed, and almost a third of these appeals were granted.

In 2023, Asia was the most common region of origin of asylum seekers and the most common nationality was Afghan. In recent years, the Middle East has been the most common region of origin, with Syrians and Iranians as the most common nationalities.