Latest figures show a drop in the number of irregular migrants risking their lives to cross into Europe from Türkiye, though the route remains deadly. Over the past five years, 105,437 migrants were intercepted in Turkish seas and rescued by the Coast Guard Command as they headed into rough seas that claimed many lives over the years. Last year alone, 23,330 people were rescued, while 41 bodies of drowned migrants were recovered. Eleven people are still missing at sea, according to statistics regarding 2024.
Irregular migration thrived in the past two decades in Türkiye, which sits between Asia and Europe, amid escalating conflicts, poverty and other challenges plaguing the home countries of migrants. Syrians, for a while, made up the majority of irregular migrants as Türkiye’s southern neighbor suffered from a civil war between 2011 and late 2024. Migrant flow is not exclusive to Asian and Middle Eastern countries and irregular migrants from African countries also prefer Türkiye as a destination to reach Europe in some cases. Türkiye boosted security in its land borders while coast guard patrols were increased amid the influx, especially in the Aegean Sea, where Türkiye and migrants’ main gateway to Europe Greece are littoral.
Figures showcase that irregular migration requiring search and rescue at sea peaked in 2015. In 1,540 cases, Turkish authorities rescued 58,570 people and recovered the bodies of 263 migrants that year, while 201 people were reported missing. Five years later, irregular migration cases requiring search and rescue dropped to 294, but the seas remained deadly for migrants as 45 people were found dead in 2020 while another 50 irregular migrants were reported missing. After 2020, incidences of search and rescue missions increased. Figures from the 2010-2014 period show that search and rescue missions at sea for migrants were only 36 in 2010, but they rose to 841 in 2024.
