Bangkok – More than 2,000 migrant deaths and disappearances from the Asia-Pacific region were recorded in 2023 globally, according to a new report by the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Missing Migrants Project. 

In 2023, the Asia-Pacific region reported the highest number of migrant fatalities with a total of at least 1,568 deaths including 117 children. This marks the fifth consecutive year of record high fatalities in the region, representing a 32 per cent increase from 2022, when 1,183 fatalities were documented.  

Additionally, over 350 migrants from Asia-Pacific lost their lives in the Mediterranean and more than 70 in other areas worldwide, highlighting the significant risks faced by migrants and the urgent need for protection for this vulnerable group against the numerous dangers they encounter on their journeys regionally and internationally.  

"This rise in migrant deaths is very alarming and a humanitarian crisis. We must urgently enhance safe migration pathways and improve protections for migrants. Upholding our commitments under the Global Compact for Migration is essential to ensure their safety, dignity, and rights. This requires coordinated action to prevent further loss of life and protect those most at risk,” said Sarah Arriola, IOM Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. 

The main causes of migrant death include sickness, lack of access to adequate healthcare, vehicle accidents, hazardous transport conditions, drowning and violence, with many cases recorded as mixed or unknown. 

Furthermore, various reports of migrant deaths outside the region often involve Asia-Pacific nationals, although their identities often remain unknown due to insufficient data. Given the limitations to accurately document deaths during migration, these figures should be seen as minimum estimate of the true death toll.  

The Missing Migrants Project is the sole indicator for measuring safe migration in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Additionally, through the Global Compact for Migration Objective 8, States have pledged “to save lives and establish coordinated international efforts on missing migrants” to protect people on the move. This data collection is crucial as it helps families trace missing loved ones and enables improved migration policies, promoting safer migration. 

“We call on states to urgently assume collective responsibility to save lives, prevent migrants from going missing or dying along migration routes, to search for and identify those who have gone missing, and to assist their families,” said Regional Director Arriola. 

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For more information, please contact:  

In Bangkok: Itayi Viriri, IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Email: iviriri@iom.int 

In Berlin: Jorge Galindo, IOM Global Data Institute. Email: jgalindo@iom.int