There is no single official, up‑to‑date UK statistic that says “X% of illegal immigrants are male,” but available research suggests the gender balance among unauthorised migrants overall is close to 50–50, while certain irregular routes (like small boat crossings and some asylum arrivals) are heavily male‑dominated.

Quick Scoop: Core facts

  • A major study by Pew Research on unauthorised immigrants in the UK estimated that in 2017, about 48% were male and 52% female – so nearly half and half overall, not overwhelmingly male.
  • Newer commentary and summaries of UK “illegal immigration” highlight that many recent irregular arrivals, especially via small boats, are predominantly young men , but they are only one slice of the total irregular/unauthorised population.
  • Because “illegal immigrants” is not a formal statistical category, and because many people without status are hidden from view, any precise percentage today would be an estimate , not a hard official number.

So, if you’re asking “what percentage of illegal immigrants are male in the UK?” the best evidence we have shows rough gender parity overall , with some specific routes (like small boats and certain asylum flows) skewed strongly towards men.

What does “illegal immigrants” mean here?

When people say “illegal immigrants,” they usually mix several different groups together:

  1. People who overstayed visas or otherwise lost legal status.
  2. People who entered without permission (for example, by small boat or hidden in vehicles).
  3. People in a long legal limbo , such as rejected asylum seekers who haven’t been removed but also don’t have secure status.

Research and official reports prefer terms like “unauthorised,” “irregular,” or “undocumented” migrants, because “illegal” is more of a political label than a clear statistical category.

This matters because the gender profile isn’t the same across all these groups, and that’s why there’s no single clean percentage for “illegal immigrants” as a whole.

What the best data actually shows

Overall unauthorised population

  • The Pew Research Center estimated 800,000 to 1.2 million unauthorised immigrants in the UK in 2017.
  • In that estimate, about 48% were male and 52% female – almost equal shares.

This strongly suggests that if you look at all people in the UK without legal status (not just those arriving by boat), you do not get a picture where “almost all are men.”

Asylum seekers and new arrivals

  • Advocacy and myth‑busting work on UK asylum seekers notes that most asylum seekers arriving in the UK are men , especially in recent years.
  • This means that if you only look at new asylum arrivals or people visible in the news (for example, crossing the Channel in small boats), you’ll see a strong male skew , largely because men are more likely to make dangerous journeys alone.

So you end up with two different pictures:

  • Long‑term unauthorised population in the UK: roughly balanced between men and women.
  • Highly visible irregular arrivals (boats, some asylum routes): mostly men.

Why the numbers are hard to pin down

There are several reasons we can’t give a precise, current percentage of “illegal immigrants” who are male:

  • Hidden population: Many people without status try not to come into contact with authorities, so they are hard to count. Any estimate has uncertainty.
  • Mixed categories: Government statistics focus on visas, net migration, asylum applications and removals , not a simple “number of illegal immigrants by gender.”
  • Changing routes and policies: In recent years, small‑boat crossings and irregular routes have changed due to policy, enforcement and global events, which can shift the gender profile over time.

Because of this, most serious researchers avoid simple statements like “80% of illegal immigrants are male” unless they are talking about a specific route or subset , such as small‑boat arrivals in a given year.

Mini‑sections: different viewpoints

Policy and security perspective

From a border‑control point of view, the focus is often on:

  • People crossing the Channel in small boats and other irregular routes, where the majority appear to be young men.
  • Concerns about smuggling networks and the risks involved in dangerous journeys.

In this narrow lens, the strong male skew can create the impression that “illegal immigration is mostly male.”

Humanitarian and rights perspective

Rights‑based groups stress that:

  • Seeking asylum is a legal right , and “no human being is illegal.”
  • Men often travel first because the journey is dangerous; later, if they get status, they may seek family reunion so partners and children can join via legal routes.
  • Gender alone tells you little about someone’s need for safety or their moral worth.

So while they accept that many recent asylum arrivals are male, they push back on using this fact to stigmatise or dehumanise them.

Public opinion and media

  • Media focus heavily on visible events like boat crossings, which show mostly men on screen.
  • This coverage can shape perceptions so people assume that the entire irregular migrant population is heavily male , even though deeper research shows a near‑even split overall.

This gap between perception and research is why questions like yours are important to unpack carefully.

Example to clarify the picture

Imagine two overlapping groups in the UK today:

  1. Group A: Long‑term unauthorised residents
    • May have been in the UK for years, working, raising families.
    • Roughly half men, half women, according to the best available estimates.
  1. Group B: Recent irregular arrivals (small boats, some asylum routes)
    • More visible in news footage.
    • Mostly young men, according to advocacy and commentary.

When you say “illegal immigrants,” you’re really talking about both A and B together. Group B looks very male; Group A looks much more balanced. Put together, you do not get a simple “mostly male” answer across the entire population.

Simple takeaway

  • The best detailed estimate we have (for 2017) shows unauthorised immigrants in the UK were about 48% male and 52% female – nearly even.
  • Certain irregular arrival routes , especially small‑boat crossings and some asylum flows, are mainly male , often young men.
  • Because the UK does not maintain a single, precise statistic for “illegal immigrants by gender,” any figure beyond this is a rough estimate and should be treated with caution.

Overall: if you’re thinking about “illegal immigrants” in the UK, the whole population is roughly half male, half female , but the most visible irregular arrivals are mostly male.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.