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Migrant crisis in the Canary Islands: A record-breaking year
So far this year, 40,000 irregular immigrants have arrived on the Spanish islands
The Canary Islands have seen a surge in migrant arrivals in 2024, with more than 40,000 people reaching the archipelago since the beginning of the year. This staggering figure has already surpassed the total number of arrivals in 2023, making 2024 the year with the highest number of irregular arrivals in history.
According to the Ministry of the Interior's report, as of November 15, some 39,713 migrants had landed in the Canary Islands. However, this number has already been exceeded, with an additional 483 people arriving in the last three days, bringing the total to 40,196.
With six weeks still to go until the end of the year, it's clear that 2024 will be a record-breaking year for migrant arrivals in the Canary Islands.
Although the seas are getting rougher every day, the first half of November saw a significant increase in arrivals, as more than 5,000 people reached the archipelago. This total exceeded most other months with the exception of January, when 7,270 irregular individuals made it safely to Spain.
Incredibly, in the first three days of this month alone, 1,893 people were rescued in 31 interventions, mainly in waters near Lanzarote and El Hierro. Tragically, 55 deaths were also recorded.
Compared to the same period last year, the number of arrivals has increased by 23.3%, with 7,504 more people arriving in 2024. Since the beginning of the year, 587 boats have reached the islands, and a total of 54,216 migrants arrived in Spain irregularly by various means, 15.8% more than in the same period in 2023.
The majority of these arrivals, 51,849, have been by sea in 1,539 small, ill-equipped boats, 6,217 more people than in 2023.
What all of this means is that the migrant crisis in the Canary Islands is continuing to escalate with no signs of slowing down and as the year draws to a close, it's clear that 2024 will be remembered as a record-breaking year for migrant arrivals in the archipelago.
Image: Salvamento Maritimo
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