The number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean to reach Italy rose 56% in 2022 from the year prior. Around 105,000 people arrived, up from 67,000 in 2021.
The number of irregular migrants who reached Italy by sea in 2022 rose 56% compared to 2021, according to figures released Wednesday (April 12) by Italian police.
Around 105,000 migrants reached the country irregularly between January 1 and December 31, 2022, up from around 67,000 in 2021.
Police sources said the data showed how irregular migration by sea, which decreased between 2017 and 2019, spiked again between 2020 and 2022.
Increasing number of migrants arriving from Libya and Tunisia
The 2022 peak in arrivals was recorded in August, when over 16,800 migrants reached Italy's coasts -- an average of over 542 arrivals per day.
Most migrants came from Libya (53,310), followed by Tunisia (32,371), Turkey (16,205), Lebanon (1,603), Algeria (1,389), Syria (243), Greece (6) and Cyprus (4).
The regions most affected by migrant landings were Sicily, with around 79,000 arrivals, and Calabria, with 18,100.
Other regions with a high number of landings include Puglia (4,908), Sardinia (2,103), Campania (641), Tuscany (250) and Emilia Romagna (113).