Balkans Migration and Displacement Hub Data and Trend Analysis: Regional overview (July-September 2020)

Data and Trend Analysis (DATA) Refugees and Migrants at the Western Balkans Route Regional Overview, covering period April – June 2020, describes key trends in migrations in the region, detailing information about the number of people on the move, demography (age, sex, country of origin, etc), behavioral patterns, and routes in use – with a focus on children, particularly unaccompanied children.

Key trends showcased in this report:

• Around 140,000 refugees and migrants are currently staying in the Balkans (similar to Q2 2020).
• In Romania, the number of arrivals and number of those staying in the centres more than tripled. Data provided by Save the Children in Romania (Salvati Copii), supporting refugee and migrant children in the accommodation centres, suggest that the centres are overcrowded and that conditions in them are poor.
• In North Macedonia, the numbers of arrivals doubled, and were amongst the highest since the migrant crisis peaked in 2016.
• Albania saw an increase with over 4,000 new refugees and migrants identified.
• Families travelled somewhat less during the pandemics and, as in previous periods, they mostly came from Syria and Iraq.
• The proportion of children in the total migrant population was lower than in the previous period.
• The route through Kosovo*, which was dominant at the beginning of 2020, was not used during the second and the third quarter of 2020.