Numbers of refugees in Devon
As the chart below shows, numbers of refugees living in Devon are miniscule.
The vast majority of refugees in the county are of Ukrainian origin.
Excluding the Ukrainians, the total number of refugees in our county – that the far right are demanding are deported – is 586, in a county with a population of 839,313. Non-Ukrainian refugees make up 0.069% of the population of Devon.
Torbay and Plymouth report separately from the rest of Devon.
In Torbay there are 57 non-Ukrainian refugees, out of a population of 139,479. Non-Ukrainian refugees make up an even lower % of the population in Torbay than in the rest of Devon – 0.040%.
Torbay information is available here.
In Plymouth, less precise information is available, but Plymouth City Council report here that asylum seekers make up 0.174% of the population of the city.
Benefits
1% of migrants in the UK claim out of work benefits, compared to 4% of UK nationals.
30,000 British nationals have claimed benefits in EU countries in recent years, many of which have much more generous benefit systems than the UK.
People seeking asylum in the UK receive £7 per day, and are not allowed to work.
Housing
There are over 600,000 empty homes in the UK, and over 15,000 second homes in Devon alone.
Refugees face significant difficulties in finding housing once their asylum application is accepted, often ending up homeless.
Overcrowding
Population density in Devon is 187 people per square kilometre. Macau has a population density of 21,055 people per square kilometre, Monaco one of 18,649. The Netherlands has a population density of 531.
Trends
There is a continued fall in long-term net migration, and emigration from the UK is increasing.
Data sources: