Nearly 9,000 died on migration routes in 2024 in deadliest year on record

Toll has risen for five years in a row in 'unacceptable and preventable' tragedy, says UN

Passengers reach Senegal after crossing the Senegal River from Mauritania, which has been expelling migrants from neighbouring countries. AFP

Last year was the deadliest year for migrants, with nearly 9,000 people dying worldwide, the United Nations said on Friday, calling it an “unacceptable and preventable” tragedy.

At least 8,938 people died on migration routes across the world in 2024, according to new data collected by the UN's International Organisation for Migrants (IOM).

The lack of more complete data on risks faced by migrants hinders life-saving responses

Julia Black,
IOM

The number of migrant deaths has been rising for the past five years, with 8,747 recorded in 2023.

“The tragedy of the growing number of migrant deaths worldwide is both unacceptable and preventable,” said IOM deputy director general for operations Ugochi Daniels. “Behind every number is a human being, someone for whom the loss is devastating.

“The increase in deaths across so many regions in the world shows why we need an international, holistic response that can prevent further tragic loss of life.”

The organisation called for more “safe and legal routes” for people on the move, which it described as the “only sustainable solution” to the crisis.

Its report comes as European nations including the UK seek to crack down on people smuggling gangs and tighten their immigration policies. Last week, Germany's incoming chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged to turn away asylum seekers who enter the country through irregular routes.

An investigation by The National last week uncovered an Iraqi-Kurdish town which is a hub for people smuggling, where gang leaders make a fortune from the misery of people desperate for a new life in Europe. A 15-year old Iraqi-Kurdish girl in Calais told how she has risked violent gangs and drowning to get to the UK.

Migrants stand in line after being detained by German police on the Polish border in October 2023. EPA

The year was the deadliest on record for Asia (2,778 recorded deaths), Africa (2,242) and Europe (233), according to the IOM report.

Although there were fewer recorded deaths in the Mediterranean, the number was still high (2,452), prompting the UN to call for safer migration routes and better search-and-rescue teams.

The final data for the Americas is not yet available, but at least 1,233 deaths occurred in 2024. They include an unprecedented 341 lives lost in the Caribbean and a record 174 deaths of migrants crossing through the perilous jungles of the Darién, straddling Panama and Colombia.

Video: Kurdistan smugglers bring death to the shores of Europe

Kurdish smugglers bringing death to shores of Europe

05:35

Migrants often die from violent incidents on their route. Since 2022, at least 10 per cent of all migrant deaths recorded occurred because of violence. Last year, most of the violent deaths were recorded in Asia, where nearly 600 people died on routes across South Asia and South-eastern Asia.

The actual number of migrant deaths and disappearances is likely to be much higher, as many have gone undocumented. It is also often difficult to establish the identity and origin of migrants who have died, leading to a lack of data.

“The rise in deaths is terrible in and of itself, but the fact that thousands remain unidentified each year is even more tragic,” said Julia Black, co-ordinator of IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, which compiled the data.

“Beyond the despair and unresolved questions faced by families who have lost a loved one, the lack of more complete data on risks faced by migrants hinders life-saving responses.”