Migrant Deaths Soar as Conflict Forces More to Flee – REPORT

The latest IOM study finds worrying trends in migrant deaths and disappearances over the last decade.

Since tracking began in 2014, more over 63,000 people have perished or are missing and assumed dead, according to the Missing Migrants Project, with 2023 being the bloodiest year yet with over 8,500 deaths.

One-third of migrant deaths occur on route while fleeing conflict.

Jorge Galindo, spokesperson at IOM’s Global Data Institute:

“The figures are quite alarming. We see that ten years on, people continue to lose their lives in search of a better one. We saw, for example, that 2023 was the deadliest year on record with over 8500 deaths. And the reasons are multiple. The majority of people, over 60% of deaths recorded by the project are due to drowning. Just in the Mediterranean alone, we see, over 28,000 deaths and disappearances recorded.”

The report’s primary conclusions include a significant percentage of unidentified deaths. More over two-thirds of migrants’ deaths that were documented remain unidentified.

The report underlines the need to enhance search and rescue.

Despite political vows and public attention, migrant deaths are increasing.

The IOM advocates for more coordinated data collecting and identification methods to give closure to affected families.

Today, the Missing Migrants Project is the only global open-access database on migrant fatalities and disappearances, collecting data from a variety of sources, including important informants from governments, UN officials, and civil society organizations.