The number beats the previous record, set in 2023, as a recent report also points at a peak in the number of deaths recorded in the dangerous Atlantic migration route.

After a record-breaking year of migrant arrivals, the president of Spain’s Canary Islands called the situation on the islands “unsustainable” on Monday.

Spain has recorded one of its highest numbers of irregular migrant arrivals in 2024, with 63,970 people entering the country by land and sea routes, marking a 12.5% increase from 2023, according to the latest data from the Spanish Ministry of Interior.

Spain received 63,970 people who arrived through irregular routes last year, including 46,843 in the Canary Islands.