Refugees and Migrants at the Balkans Route: Regional Overview of Data for 2024 and January-April 2025

Data and Trend Analysis (DATA) Refugees and Migrants at the Western Balkans Route Regional Overview of Data for 2024 and January-April 2025 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.), behavioural patterns, and routes in use – with a focus on children, particularly unaccompanied children.
Key trends and developments showcased in the report:

• Although a general decline in new arrivals was recorded in the first four months of 2025, arrivals in Greece continue, including an increased number of arrivals to the Greek island of Crete from Libya.
• Bulgaria’s border with Türkiye, an external frontier of both the European Union and the Schengen Area, continues to be tightly controlled, hindering both transit and access to asylum procedures within the country.
• Italy has integrated “repatriation hubs” into its asylum processing centers in Albania to detain migrants whose asylum claims were rejected in Italy before deportation. This approach aligns with the European Commission’s proposed Common European System for Returns.
• The number of accommodation facilities along the Balkans Route is decreasing, reducing the availability of the services, and raising concerns about upholding essential protection and integration standards.
• A comprehensive review of available data suggests that transit through Balkan countries is faster and more organized, increasingly facilitated by smuggling networks, which complicates detection and registration efforts.