Since the Lampedusa shipwreck, deaths in the Mediterranean have been numerous. In 2014 the UN Agency for Refugees (UNHCR) had already defined the Mediterranean Sea crossing the "deadliest road in the world". In fact, since then, the deaths at sea have continued, reaching their highest point in 2016, when more than 5,000 died or went missing at sea. That same year, 2016, was the year in which migrant arrivals by sea to Europe dropped considerably, in particular on the Eastern Mediterranean route from Turkey to the Greek islands. Meanwhile, the crossing from North Africa to Italy went back to being the main European landing for migrants fleeing conflicts, famine, abuse, and political and economic instability. 

Among the migratory routes, the Mediterranean is the one that has seen the most serious incidents in recent years. In 2015, out of the total dead and missing, 77 percent came by this route, with 90 percent the following year. This year is also registering a considerable number of deaths (in 93.3 percent of cases they took place on the migratory route towards Italy), with more than 2,600 dead and missing between January 1 and September 29, 2017. In the summer months, with the intensification of arrivals in Spain, victims on the Western Mediterranean route also increased. As of September 29, 4.9 percent of deaths in the Mediterranean came from that route.