In 2024, at least 46,843 migrants arrived in Spain’s Canary Islands via the perilous Atlantic migration route, the country’s Interior Ministry revealed.
The total number of migrants entering Spain through irregular routes reached 63,970, a notable rise from 56,852 in 2023.
Despite an overall 40% drop in irregular crossings into the European Union between January and November 2024, Atlantic route crossings surged by 19%, according to EU border agency Frontex. 
The majority of migrants hailed from Mali, Senegal, and Morocco, fleeing years of conflict, unemployment, and climate-related hardships.
The Atlantic route, stretching from Senegal, The Gambia, Mauritania, and Morocco, remains the world’s deadliest migration path. Last week, at least 69 individuals, including 25 Malians, lost their lives when a boat capsized en route to the Canary Islands off Morocco’s coast.
NGO Caminando Fronteras reported that 10,457 migrants died or disappeared attempting sea crossings to Spain in 2024, a 50% increase from the previous year and the highest toll since 2007.
The fatalities are attributed to unsafe boats, treacherous waters, and insufficient rescue efforts.
The aid group Walking Borders has accused European governments of prioritizing immigration control over the fundamental right to life, citing arbitrary rescue operations and criminalization of migrants as contributing factors to the crisis.
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