A record 46,843 undocumented migrants arrived in Spain's Canary Islands last year, according to the Spanish Interior Ministry.
The increase in migration to the Canary Islands, located off the coast of Morocco and Western Sahara, contrasts with the European trend.
The number of unauthorised border crossings at the EU’s external borders fell by 40% in the first eleven months of last year, according to the European border agency, Frontex. Significantly fewer migrants are heading to Europe via the Western Balkans and the central Mediterranean.
Observers suggest that stricter measures in those areas are partially responsible. As a result, migrants are now using different routes, such as through West Africa.
Experts call this the ‘waterbed effect’: a decrease in one area leads to an increase elsewhere. This may partly explain the rise in the number of migrants in the Canary Islands.
In 2023, 39,910 people arrived on the Canary Islands, which was also a record at the time.
As more boats attempt the crossing to the archipelago, more people are dying along the way.
According to the Spanish human rights organisation, Caminando Fronteras, over 10,000 people died or went missing last year. This is the highest number since the organisation began counting in 2007.
