People dead and missing along migration routes to Europe since January 2014 to date

There are four main migration routes taken by people on the move to reach the so-called "first arrival" countries in Europe (Spain, Italy, Malta, Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria).

These routes form the middle section of a journey that begins in Africa, the Middle East or South-West Asia, and which then continues by sea or land until the migrants reach Europe, before they cross the continent.

Both on the map and in the charts below, the routes are colour-coded, with each route having the following characteristics:

• Western African Atlantic Route (red): this is a sea route from Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal and The Gambia to the Canary Islands (Spain).
  It is extremely dangerous, as it involves crossing the Atlantic Ocean. It has seen an increase in flows during periods when the land crossings at Ceuta and Melilla to Spain were closed.
  

• Western Mediterranean Route (green): this is the land and sea route from North-West Africa (Morocco and Algeria) to southern Spain (Ceuta, Melilla and the Balearic Islands).
  

• Central Mediterranean Route (orange): this is the sea route from North Africa (particularly Tunisia, Algeria, Libya and Egypt) to Malta and Italy.
  It is the most dangerous and has the highest number of deaths and missing people.
  

• Eastern Mediterranean Route (blue): this is the route, both by sea and by land, leading from Turkey to Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria. By land, it continues along the dangerous Balkan Route, where walls and barriers increase and are modified year after year, adapting to legislative changes.

Cause of death

The main cause of death on migration routes to Europe was and remains drowning. Both the Central Mediterranean route and the Western African Atlantic route are entirely by sea, which also explains the high percentage of people missing (on average > 50%).