The number of sexual offence convictions of foreign nationals in England and Wales has soared by 62 per cent in the past four years, according to new Ministry of Justice data that lays bare the scale of migrant crime. The figures, drawn from the Police National Computer and released under Freedom of Information laws, show that foreign nationals accounted for one in seven (14.1 per cent) of all sexual offence convictions last year—including rape.
The increase outpaces that among British nationals, whose sexual offence convictions rose by 39.3 per cent over the same period. Between 2021 and 2024, convictions of foreign nationals for sex offences climbed from 687 to 1,114. British nationals, meanwhile, saw a rise from 4,409 to 6,142.
A similar pattern is visible in other crime categories. Theft convictions for foreign nationals rose by 77.9 per cent since 2021, compared to 55.8 per cent for British nationals. Robbery convictions among foreign nationals increased by 18.9 per cent, while British nationals saw an increase of just 2.8 per cent.
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, told the Daily Telegraph : “This country has a serious and growing crime problem with its own people, which makes importing foreign-born criminals all the more stupid. Foreign sex offenders are becoming one of the most important political issues in Britain. These figures will infuriate the public.”
The data, obtained by the Centre for Migration Control, comes amid record net migration of up to 906,000 in 2023 and a surge in Channel crossings. So far this year, nearly 28,000 migrants have reached the UK in small boats—the highest number at this point since arrivals began in 2018.
Nationalities with the highest number of sexual offence convictions last year included Indians (100), Romanians (92), Poles (83), Pakistanis (56), Afghans (43), Nigerians (40), Sudanese (37), Bangladeshis (34), and Portuguese (33).
The seven nationalities that made up about three-quarters of Channel crossings in 2023—Afghans, Syrians, Iranians, Vietnamese, Eritreans, Sudanese, and Iraqis—saw sexual offence convictions rise by 110 per cent over the past four years.
Convictions for other offences have also risen sharply. The total number of non-summary convictions of foreign nationals increased by 19.6 per cent between 2021 and 2024, from 17,417 to 20,826. For British nationals, the increase was just 5.9 per cent, from 138,307 to 146,511. Foreign national convictions for possession of weapon offences rose by 9.4 per cent, in contrast to a 1 per cent drop for British nationals. Drug offence convictions among foreign nationals went up by 11.3 per cent, while British nationals saw a 3.9 per cent decline. Criminal damage and arson convictions for foreign nationals surged by 105.4 per cent, compared to an 18.9 per cent rise for British nationals. The exception was violent offences, which decreased for foreign nationals by 28.7 per cent.
The nationalities with the most non-summary convictions last year were Romanians (3,271), Albanians (2,150), Poles (1,869), Irish (1,105), Lithuanians (737), Indians (588), Iranians (508), Bulgarians (489), Portuguese (485), and Algerians (472).
The data’s release follows growing public backlash over the use of hotels to house asylum seekers. This week, a High Court judge backed Epping council’s effort to close an asylum hotel after it became a flashpoint for anti-immigration protests. Violent demonstrations broke out last month after Hadush Kebatu, a 41-year-old Ethiopian asylum seeker living at the hotel, was charged with a series of sexual offences, including some against a 14-year-old girl. He denies all charges.
Robert Bates, research director at the Centre for Migration Control, added: “It is unconscionable for the Government to continue with business as usual when this data shows that action, such as the introduction of a red list, is now urgently needed.”
The Ministry of Justice cautioned that the data could be subject to limitations—for example, an offender may have multiple nationalities listed on the Police National Computer, but is recorded according to their first or primary nationality, and one individual could be responsible for multiple offences. Convictions where no nationality was declared were excluded from the analysis.
A government spokesman told the Daily Telegraph: “Any foreign national who commits these kind of sexual offences in our country will face the full force of the law, and be deported at the earliest opportunity. And thanks to the reforms in our border security bill, any asylum claims they make will also be denied.
“This Government has already removed almost 5,200 foreign national offenders in its first year in office, a 14 per cent increase on the previous 12 months, and we will continue to crack down on any foreign nationals who come to this country and break our rules.”
