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Emergencies

REFUGEE CRISIS IN EUROPE

159,000

In 2022 alone, there were over 159,000 sea arrivals in Italy, Greece, Spain, Cyprus and Malta.

40% of sea arrivals are women and children

40 percent of individuals arriving to Europe by sea in 2019 are women and children.

2,400

In 2022, more than 2,400 individuals were reported dead or missing due to dangerous sea journeys.

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Right now, war and violence have forced more than 110 million people to flee their homes. Sign up to learn how you can help!

About the Crisis in Europe

By the end of 2016, nearly 5.2 million refugees and migrants reached European shores, undertaking treacherous journeys from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries torn apart by war and persecution.

For some, this desperate journey was their last, and for others it continues to be a last resort to ensure safety for them and their families. Thousands lost their lives or have gone missing since 2016, and an increasing number of women and unaccompanied children continue to take perilous journeys in search of safety.

In 2022, more than 159,000 people risked their lives trying to reach Europe by sea; more than 2,400 of them are dead or missing.

Voices of the Crisis

VIDEO

Desperate Journeys: Spain now main route to Europe for refugees and migrants (2:46)

How to Help

UNHCR is on the ground, with over 600 staff in 20 different locations working to protect refugees and provide lifesaving assistance such as shelter, food, water and medical care to refugees who arrived in Europe.

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More Facts About the Crisis in Europe

An Afghan boy spells out the alphabet at a refugee camp in Greece.

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  • By mid-year 2023, there were 89,100 estimated arrivals via the Mediterranean and Northwest African maritime routes.
  • Compared to the same period last year, there was a 75 percent increase in arrivals at the end of June 2023. 
  • By mid-year 2023, 2,149 people were estimated to be dead or missing at sea. 

Stories from the Europe Crisis

Mediterranean Shipwreck

A decade after the Lampedusa shipwreck, the continuing tragedies need to end

On the 10th anniversary of the Lampedusa shipwreck, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, calls for coordinated international efforts to strengthen migration governance and safeguard migrants.

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Six people died each day attempting to cross Mediterranean in 2018

Refugees and migrants attempting to reach Europe via the Mediterranean Sea lost their lives at an alarming rate in 2018.

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Thousands of asylum-seekers moved off Greek islands

As winter bites, UNHCR helps the Greek government move vulnerable asylum-seekers from reception centers on the Aegean Islands to shelter on the mainland.

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A loss no parent should endure

A mother and kindergarten teacher, Hope fled the violence plaguing her home country of Nigeria with her daughters. Two of her daughters went missing at sea.

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