At least 8,500 migrants died on land and sea routes worldwide last year, the most in a decade

By JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. migration agency says at least 8,565 migrants died on land and sea routes worldwide last year. That’s the highest number since the International Organization for Migration began counting deaths a decade ago. The biggest increase was on the Mediterranean Sea and Africa also had its highest figure last year. The 2023 count was nearly 20% more than the previous year. Most were people who drowned, and the count includes migrants who vanished and are presumed dead even if their bodies were not found. The migration agency cautioned that their count likely underestimates the true death toll. An IOM official noted: “Every single one of them is a terrible human tragedy.”