A Record Number of Migrants Reached the Canary Islands by Sea in 2024, Spain Says

The Atlantic migration route that connects West African nations with the Spanish Canary Islands set a new record in 2024, with at least 46,843 arrivals to the Spanish archipelago, according to yearly figures released by Spain’s Interior Ministry. The number surpassed last year’s previous record, and represents a 17% increase.

The number, released Thursday in a report from Spain’s Interior Ministry, comes despite continued efforts by the Spanish government and the European Union to address the migration crisis. Spain and the EU have sought to provide aid to countries of origin to help spur development and control the departure of migrants.

Migrants often travel more than 1,000 miles by sea to reach the Canary Islands. Senegal and Mauritania are two of the most common launching points for migrants, who come from a number of countries in the African continent {snip}

{snip} The Spanish aid organization Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) assessed on a recent report that over 10,000 migrants died last year trying to reach the Canary Islands by sea.

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