At least 8,565 people died on migration routes around the world in 2023, making it the deadliest year of the decade. The Mediterranean crossing remains the deadliest route for migrants, with at least 3,129 deaths and disappearances recorded last year.
Just over half of deaths last year were due to drowning, 9% to car accidents and 7% to violence. The IOM's Missing Migrants project, created in 2014, is an open access database that records migrant deaths and disappearsances.