Over 350 Iraqis die attempting migration, NGO reports

Shafaq News – Al-Sulaymaniyah

Irregular migration has claimed the lives of more than 350 Iraqis over the past decade, according to figures released on Thursday by a Kurdish non-governmental organization.

In statistics released on International Migrants Day, the Lutka Foundation for Iraqi Refugee and Migrant Affairs—whose name means “summit” in Kurdish—reported 355 Iraqi deaths between 2015 and 2025 among 794,853 people who attempted irregular migration, based on data compiled from field documentation, family testimonies, and international monitoring sources.

The Foundation also noted that at least 250 Iraqi migrants remain unaccounted for, raising concerns that some may have died without being identified.

The International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project has documented tens of thousands of migrant and refugee deaths worldwide since 2014, identifying the Central Mediterranean as one of the deadliest irregular migration routes.

Figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees show Iraqi nationals consistently ranking among asylum seekers in Europe in recent years, reflecting what the body described as continued outward migration linked to economic hardship, insecurity, and limited prospects at home.

Read more: The shifting sands of hope: Iraqi migrants find new paths