Why are refugee deaths at an all-time high?

Last year was the deadliest for people fleeing violence, war and persecution, according to the UN’s migration agency.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says 2023 was the deadliest year on record for refugees and migrants, with at least 8,565 people dying on migration routes across the world.

This is a 20 percent rise from the previous year.

The previous record was 8,064 deaths in 2016. At the time, there was a surge of refugee deaths in the Mediterranean because of the numbers of people trying to escape conflict zones, including Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Many refugees fleeing conflict zones have tried to reach European countries for safety.

At least 8,565 refugees and migrants died last year, more than half by drowning during sea voyages in the Mediterranean. Nine percent were caused by vehicle accidents and 7 percent by violence. The second-highest number of migrant deaths after 2016 at 7,141 was in 2022, with 2020 recording the lowest number of migrant deaths at 4,032.

In December, 61 refugees and asylum seekers died in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya while at least 25 people drowned in a shipwreck off the coast of Tunisia in April.

At least 3,129 deaths and disappearances have been recorded in the Mediterranean since 2017, making it the deadliest route for refugees. In Africa, 1,866 deaths occurred mainly in the Sahara Desert and on the sea route to the Canary Islands. In Asia, 2,138 deaths were reported, mostly of Afghan and Rohingya refugees attempting to flee violence and conflict in their countries of origin.

The rise in deaths of migrants and refugees comes at a time when their rights are increasingly under attack from countries they hope to reach and in nations where they hope to make