The United Nations said 2023 was the deadliest year for migrants since 2014. At least 8 565 deaths were recorded on migration routes worldwide last year.
"The 2023 death toll represents a tragic increase of 20 per cent compared to 2022, highlighting the urgent need for action to prevent further loss of life," said the International Organization for Migration (IOM) report, citing data from the "Missing Migrants" oreganization.
The IOM informed that the lack of safe, regulated routes forces thousands of people to choose dangerous migration routes. In particular, itʼs about the Mediterranean Sea, where at least 3 129 people died in 2023 trying to reach Europe. This figure is the highest on the route since 2017.
A large number of migrant deaths were registered in Africa — 1 866 and Asia — 2 138. In Africa, many fatal incidents occurred in the Sahara desert and on the sea route to Spainʼs Canary Islands. In Asia, a large number of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and Afghan refugees have died.
More than half of the migrants who died in 2023 drowned. 9% of deaths were caused by traffic accidents, and 7% by violence. Since the beginning of 2024, 512 migrants have already died.