Refugees and Migrants at the Balkans Route Regional Overview October – December 2022

Data and Trend Analysis (DATA) Refugees and Migrants at the Balkans Route Regional Overview October-December 2022 describe key trends in migrations in the region, detailing information about the number of people on the move, demography (age, sex, country of origin, etc.), behavioural patterns, and routes in use – with a focus on children, particularly unaccompanied children.
Key trends:
• In the fourth quarter of 2022, the number of registered refugees and migrants continued to rise in most countries along the Balkans route, except for Romania and Bulgaria, where decreases of 27% and 5%, respectively, were recorded compared to the same period last year.
• Other countries along the route saw significant increases in the number of registered refugees and migrants in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. The most significant increases were recorded in Montenegro, with a 394% rise, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a 314% increase.
• Despite the rising number of refugees and migrants, autumn and winter did not witness the creation of a bottleneck along the Balkans route. This could indicate that, despite the increase in arrivals, countries did not significantly alter their border policies nor intensify their border controls.