Number of asylum seekers in hotels falls to 18-month low

The number of asylum seekers being housed in UK hotels has fallen to the lowest level for 18 months, statistics show.

The figures released by the Home Office reveal there were 30,657 people living temporarily in the accommodation at the end of 2025.

This is 45% lower than the peak of 56,018 at the end of September 2023.

The issue of people being housed in hotels rose to prominence last year with protests outside some sites.

Labour has pledged to no longer be using asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament, which would be 2029, if not earlier.

In October, the Government announced that barracks in Scotland and southern England would be used to house around 900 men temporarily, as part of Government efforts to stop using hotels to temporarily house asylum seekers.

The number of asylum seekers in hotels peaked at 56,018 at the end of September 2023 under the then-Conservative government but dropped to a record low of 29,561 at the end of June 2024 just before the general election.

The latest data from the Home Office showed December levels were 15% lower than the previous quarter at the end of September when there were 36,273 people in hotels.

Figures for hotels, which represent the total population at that point in time rather than across the three-month period, date back to December 2022.

101,000 people claimed asylum in 2025, 4% less than in 2024.

Half of asylum seekers arrived through illegal entry routes, such as small boats, while a further 39% of claimants had previously arrived in the UK on a visa or with other leave.

135,000 people received initial decisions on asylum claims in 2025, 56% higher than the previous year and the highest since comparable records began in 2002.

23,000 entered detention last year, 11% more than in 2024, continuing the upward trend since 2023.

The Home Office said the increase in the number of individuals entering detention may reflect the use of detention to facilitate the rising number of returns from the UK.

There were 9,900 enforced returns, an increase of 21% compared with the previous year, continuing an increase seen since 2020.