The following table shows the number of persons removed, including voluntary departures, from the UK in each of the last 30 years.
Further National Statistics on removals from the UK are available from the Library of the House and Table 6.1 of the Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2007 bulletin
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb1108.pdf.
Asylum cases, principal3 Asylum cases, dependants4 Asylum cases, total Non-asylum cases All removals and voluntary departures 1978 n/a n/a n/a n/a 15,950 1979 n/a n/a n/a n/a 20,320 1980 n/a n/a n/a n/a 18,950 1981 n/a n/a n/a n/a 14,810 1982 n/a n/a n/a n/a 13,730 1983 n/a n/a n/a n/a 15,355 1984 n/a n/a n/a n/a 18,915 1985 n/a n/a n/a n/a 19,665 1986 n/a n/a n/a n/a 25,070 1987 n/a n/a n/a n/a 20,540 1988 n/a n/a n/a n/a 22,915 1989 n/a n/a n/a n/a 27,445 1990 n/a n/a n/a n/a 23,460 1991 n/a n/a n/a n/a 24,070 1992 1,350 n/a n/a 19,820 21,160 1993 1,820 n/a n/a 21,000 22,820 1994 2,220 n/a n/a 20,210 22,430 1995 3,170 n/a n/a 21,060 24,230 1996 4,820 n/a n/a 21,840 26,660 1997 7,165 n/a n/a 23,985 31,150 1998 6,990 n/a n/a 27,930 34,920 1999 57,665 n/a n/a 30,115 37,780 2000 58,980 n/a n/a 37,665 46,645 2001 59,285 1,495 10,780 39,850 50,625 2002 10,740 3,170 13,910 54,720 68,630 2003 13,005 4,890 17,895 46,495 64,390 2004 12,595 2,315 14,915 46,245 61,160 2005 13,730 1,955 15,685 42,530 58,215 2006 16,330 1,950 18,280 45,585 63,865 20076 12,705 1,000 13,705 49,660 63,365 n/a = not available 1 Prior to 1989 figures exclude EC (European Commission) nationals refused entry at port and subsequently removed. Since 1994 figures include persons removed from juxtaposed controls. Since 1999 figures include persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organization for Migration. Since 2005 figures include persons who it has been established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. Since October 2006 figures include persons leaving under Facilitated Return Schemes. 2 Figures rounded to the nearest five and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. 3 Persons who had sought asylum as some stage, excluding dependants. 4 Data on dependants removed are not available before April 2001. 5 Figures may include a small number of dependants leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes. 6 Provisional figures.