Last year was the deadliest 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 worldwide in 2024, according to the UN's migration agency. The death toll marked a grim record for the fifth consecutive year. The number of deaths on migratory routes has more than doubled since 2020.
"The tragedy of the growing number of migrant deaths worldwide is both unacceptable and preventable," said Ugochi Daniels, deputy director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
"Behind every number is a human being, someone for whom the loss is devastating," Daniels added.
“The rising death toll is terrible in itself, but the fact that thousands remain unidentified each year is even more tragic,” said Julia Black, coordinator of the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project.
The actual number of migrant deaths and disappearances is likely much higher, as many go undocumented due to a lack of official sources, the IOM said. It added that the identities and other details of most victims remain unknown.
Asia, Africa, and Europe saw record migrant death tolls in 2024, with 2,778, 2,242, and 233 deaths respectively.
A total of 2,452 people were recorded as having died in the Mediterranean Sea, the primary gateway for those attempting to reach Europe.
Final data for the Americas is not yet available, but figures so far indicate that at least 1,233 people have died.
These include "an unprecedented 341 lives lost in the Caribbean in 2024 and a record 174 deaths of migrants crossing the Darién jungle." The Darién jungle has been a key migration corridor for those attempting to reach the United States.
According to the IOM, migrants are people who leave their place of residence for any reason and any length of time, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. Some seek asylum to escape war or violence.
News of the record death toll comes just days after the agency announced it was suspending many “lifesaving” programmes and laying off hundreds of employees due to US aid cuts, affecting millions of vulnerable migrants and refugees worldwide.
The Geneva-based IOM is among several organisations supporting displaced people that have been hit by major US aid reductions, forcing it to scale back or shut down programmes, which it said will severely impact migrants.
With input from agencies
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
