Mauritania was the main country of departure for migrants heading to the Spanish coast in 2024, with around 25,000 departures -- roughly equal to the combined number from Morocco and Algeria over the same period.

These figures were shared by the Spanish National Security Department (DSN) which is warning that migratory pressure could increase in the future due to instability in the Sahel region.

2024 record year for arrivals of migrants in Spain

According to the data, which includes figures from the Spanish Ministry of Interior, the number of migrants who landed on Spanish coasts coming from Mauritania totalled 25,081, followed by 13,217 from Morocco and 12,038 from Algeria.

An additional 8,970 people left from Senegal for the Canary Islands, while 250 migrants left from Guinea-Bissau, in the South West of Africa.

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The year 2024 for Spain marked the highest record in migrant arrivals, with a total of 61,372 arriving by sea, marking an increase of over 10 percent compared to 2023 and exceeding the previous historic record dating back to 2018, when a total of 57,498 irregular migrants landed on Iberian shores.

The Canary Island archipelago was the Spanish region that registered the highest increase in arrivals, 18 percent (46,843 migrants), followed by the Balearic Islands, where the increase was over 158 percent (5,882 migrants).

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The Eastern Mediterranean route is the one most used

The Eastern Mediterranean route is the one that is most used. The organization, which responds directly to the Government's Presidency, underscores that the Eastern Mediterranean route was the one most traveled on by migration flows, followed by the Central Mediterranean (which begins in Libya and Tunisia and is destined to Italy), from the Atlantic route (from Western Africa to the Canary Islands), and, lastly, the Western Mediterranean route (from Morocco and Algeria toward the Iberian peninsula and the Balearic Islands).

According to the DSN, "there is a transfer taking place" due to the "partial closing" of the Central Mediterranean route, "with the consequent increase of pressure on the countries of departure in this area (Mauritania, Senegal, and The Gambia)."

The SDN warns against the instability in the Sahel region, which has an impact in particular on Mauritania, at the border with Mali, and "where Russian presence is more evident."

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