Why are refugee deaths at an all-time high?

Last year was the deadliest for people fleeing violence, war and persecution, according to the UN’s migration agency.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says 2023 was the deadliest year on record for refugees and migrants, with at least 8,565 people dying on migration routes across the world.

This is a 20 percent rise from the previous year.

The previous record was 8,064 deaths in 2016. At the time, there was a surge of refugee deaths in the Mediterranean because of the numbers of people trying to escape conflict zones, including Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Many refugees fleeing conflict zones have tried to reach European countries for safety.