"The Government needs to wake up"
The number of sexual offence convictions of foreign nationals in the UK has increased by 62% in the last four years, with Indians recording the highest figures in 2024.
According to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) data, foreign nationals accounted for one in seven (14.1%) sexual offence convictions in 2024, including rapes.
Convictions among foreign nationals rose by 62% between 2021 and 2024, compared with a 39.3% increase for British nationals over the same period.
Indians had the highest number of sexual offence convictions of any nationality, with 100 in 2024.
This was followed by Romanians (92), Poles (83) and Pakistanis (56). Other top nationalities included Afghans (43), Nigerians (40), Sudanese (37), Bangladeshis (34) and Portuguese (33).
The figures were obtained by the think tank Centre for Migration Control, highlighting a broader trend of rising convictions for foreign nationals.
Theft convictions by foreign nationals rose by 77.9% since 2021, compared with 55.8% for British nationals.
Robbery convictions increased by 18.9%, while violent offences decreased by 28.7% over the same period.
Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: “This is yet more concerning data that shows mass, uncontrolled migration is fuelling serious crime.
“The Government needs to wake up, publish the full data and act to keep the public safe.”
Mr Jenrick has proposed legislation requiring the Government to publish an annual report detailing the nationality, visa and asylum status of every offender convicted in English and Welsh courts.
Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader, added: “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.”
Robert Bates, research director at the Centre for Migration Control, called for urgent action:
“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 MoJ warned the data should be treated with caution, noting that individuals could hold multiple nationalities and commit multiple offences.
Convictions of offenders with no declared nationality were excluded from the analysis.
Overall, the total number of non-summary convictions for foreign nationals rose by 19.6% between 2021 and 2024, compared with a 5.9% increase for British nationals.
Indians were among the top ten nationalities with the highest number of non-summary convictions last year, with 588.
The Government said: “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% 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.”
The data comes amid rising tension over the housing of asylum seekers, which has led to violent protests, most recently after an Ethiopian asylum seeker was charged with sexual offences in Epping.
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