Turks made up 10 percent of the migrants who entered the UK illegally by way of small watercraft in the first half of 2024, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported, citing British Home Office data.
The number of migrants entering the UK in small boats increased by 18 percent in the first six months of 2024 compared to the same period of the previous year, with 70 percent of them men and one-fifth minors. Turkish migrants are second in number only to those from Afghanistan. The rest came from Iran, Syria and Vietnam.
Turks seeking to enter the UK illegally reflect a broader trend across Europe and North America. In 2023 Turks represented the third-largest group of illegal immigrants in the EU, with 35,731 making their way to Germany alone, second only to Syrians and Afghans.
In 2023 more than 100,000 Turkish citizens applied for asylum in EU countries—an 82 percent increase over the previous year—making them the third-largest nationality seeking protection in the EU after Syrians and Afghans.
According to data provided by the United States border patrol, during the 2023 fiscal year 15.542 Turkish citizens entered the country illegally through the US-Mexican border.
A significant number of Turks have been leaving their homeland in recent years due to a combination of political instability, economic difficulties and rising authoritarianism under the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. High inflation, unemployment and diminishing civil liberties have pushed many Turks, particularly young professionals and political dissidents, to seek better opportunities and security abroad.