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UNHCR Europe Monthly Report (April 2017)

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Trends and key figures

Since 01 January 2017 until April 2017, 46,811 people have arrived by sea in the Mediterranean. Arrivals to the Mediterranean Sea are overall comprised of 16 per cent children, 11 per cent women and 73 per cent men. As of 30 April 2017, 5,166 refugees and migrants reached Greek shores, compared to 155,102 arriving in the same period last year (decrease by 97 per cent in 2017). According to the statistics of the Turkish Coast Guards, 1,551 persons were rescued/intercepted within April 2017 an almost a similar trend with March 2017 (1,501 persons). So far in 2017, 37,142 refugees and migrants reached Italian shores - compared to 27,926 arriving in the same period last year (increase by 33 per cent) - including over 5,500 unaccompanied and separated children (UASC). Persons arriving by sea mainly originate from Nigeria (14 per cent), Bangladesh (12 per cent), Guinea (11 per cent), Côte d’Ivoire (11 per cent), The Gambia (8 per cent), Senegal (7 per cent), Morocco (6 per cent), Mali (5 per cent), Pakistan (3 per cent) and Eritrea (2 per cent).

There has been an increase in arrivals in Spain and 5,499 persons arrived by sea and land since January 2017 (2,973 in the same period of last year which is 85 per cent increase). Arrivals this year mainly originate from Guinea (23 per cent), Côte d’Ivoire (17 per cent), The Gambia (11 per cent), Cameroon (10 per cent), Syria (9 per cent) and Algeria (7 per cent). Most 2017 arrivals (over 3,000) departed from Morocco (Tangier and Nador) and reached the Andalusian coast after being rescued by the Spanish Rescue Agency. Fewer persons also departed from Algeria. Furthermore, some 2,200 persons arrived via land in Ceuta and Melilla.

Since January 2017, 302 arrived to Cyprus compared to 43 during the same period last year.
In April 2017, 1,156 refugees and migrants arrived in Greece compared to 3,650 for the same period last year, while 12,887 arrived to the Italian shores compared to 10,071 in April 2016. In Spain in April 2017 there were 888 sea arrivals (451 in April 2016) and 40 in Cyprus (15 last year).