More than 50 young asylum seekers in the UK have died in the past decade, the majority by suicide, according to data compiled for the first time by the Da’aro Youth Project. Of 54 deaths of unaccompanied children and young people who claimed asylum between 2015 and 2024, 31 were suicides, seven were homicides and eight were fatal accidents. Six deaths were due to health issues and in two cases the cause of death was unknown.
Forty-four of the 54 deaths have occurred since 2020, with 2024 being the worst year, recording seven suicides and seven other deaths. The data, obtained through freedom of information requests to local authorities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, is likely incomplete because the Home Office often disputes the ages of young asylum seekers, meaning not all end up in the care system. The Home Office and Department for Education refused to provide this data.
Six of the suicides involved children aged 17 or under, 16 were of young people aged 18 to 20 and nine were of 20- to 24-year-olds. Notable cases include Amir Safi from Afghanistan, who died in 2024 after being ruled an adult, and four Eritrean teenagers who died by suicide between November 2017 and February 2019.
The report has been sent to ministers including Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Immigration Minister Alex Norris, with a letter expressing concern about the lack of transparency. It calls for death data to be published, a national review and a new safeguarding strategy. Sarah Robson, director of Da’aro Youth Project, said: “These young people have been mistreated repeatedly by governments – with children treated as adults by the Home Office – and an asylum system that prioritises deterrence over sanctuary.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said every death of a young person in care is a tragedy and that the government is strengthening wellbeing support through the children’s wellbeing and schools bill, including support with housing and staying connected.
