Spain recorded a significant surge in illegal immigration in 2023, with 56,852 individuals making the journey, marking an 82.1% increase from the previous year, according to data from the Interior Ministry. The majority of the immigrants undertook the perilous journey across the Mediterranean, covering over 100 km from the northwest coast of Africa to the Canary Islands. Of the total, 39,910 immigrants reached the Canary Islands, reflecting a 154.5% increase from 2022.
Additionally, 15,435 immigrants crossed the Mediterranean to mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands, a 19% rise from the previous year. The remaining arrivals reached the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa.
Despite the increase in 2023, the figures remain below the peak recorded in 2018 when almost 64,300 people undertook illegal crossings to Spain. The Spanish government recently agreed to accept a group of 281 Nicaraguan and Venezuelan immigrants as part of an accord with the US to alleviate migratory pressures on the southern border.