IOM Reports 164,700 Migrant Arrivals in Europe by Sea in 2016

An estimated total of 164,752 migrants and refugees have arrived in Europe across the Mediterranean between 1 January 1 and 29 March 2016, the International Organsiation for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.

Most of the migrants and refugees who have arrived in Europe by sea this year have landed in Greece (149,534). Out of those, 67,415 reached Greece in January 2016 and 57,066 arrived in February 2016.

There were also 15,218 arrivals in Italy during the same time period.

“The daily average fell during the recent Easter holiday weekend, when fewer than 500 migrants or refugees reportedly landing in Greece over the three days. No new landings were reported in Italy or Spain,” the IOM said in a statement. 

Slightly more than one million migrants and refugees have arrived to Greece by sea between 1 January 2015 and 27 March 2016, according to IOM calculations.