2023: The Year with the Highest Number of Migrant Deaths in a Decade

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), a part of the United Nations, indicated on Wednesday that "at least 8,565 people lost their lives in migration routes around the world last year, making 2023 the year with the highest recorded number of migrant deaths ever." The organization noted that "the number of migrant deaths recorded last year exceeded the deaths and missing persons in 2016, which was the highest with 8,084 deaths." It added, "These shocking figures collected in the Missing Migrants Project are also a reminder that we must recommit to taking greater action to ensure safe migration for all, so that, ten years from now, people will no longer have to risk their lives in search of a better life." Total deaths rose by 20 percent last year compared to 2022.