ReliefWeb

Overview

Between 1 January and 30 September 2018, 20,948 persons arrived in Italy by sea, an 80 per cent decrease compared to sea arrivals in the same period last year (105,418). In September 2018, 947 persons reached Italian shores, most commonly departing from Tunisia. This is a significant reduction compared to the almost 6,300 refugees and migrant arrivals recorded at landing points in southern Italy in September 2017. The number of monthly sea arrivals in September 2018 is the lowest recorded since February 2013.

Nationality of arrivals

Between 1 January and 30 September 2018, 22 per cent of arrivals originated from Tunisia, followed by Eritrea (15 per cent), Sudan (8 per cent), Iraq (6 per cent), Pakistan (6 per cent), Nigeria (6 per cent), Côte d'Ivoire (5 per cent), Algeria (5 per cent), Mali (4 per cent), and Guinea (4 per cent). In September 2018, the vast majority of sea arrivals in Italy originated from Tunisia. As of 30 September 2018, 4,504 Tunisians had reached Italian shores, compared to 2,650 in the same period last year. In September 2018, there were also significant arrivals originating from Iraq who departed from Turkey or Greece. The number of Iraqi sea arrivals in January-September 2018 (1,354) is comparable to numbers recorded in the same period last year (1,407). Furthermore, Eritrean sea arrivals in the first nine months of 2018 (3,047) have dropped compared to the same period last year (5,616). However, they are proportionally higher, accounting for 15 per cent of arrivals, compared to 5 per cent in the same period last year. The number of Sudanese arrivals also dropped, but their proportion of total arrivals (7 per cent) is largely comparable to the same period last year. Notably, Nigerian sea arrivals decreased from 17,100 in the January-September 2017 period to 1,248 in the January-September 2018 period.