Asylum seekers on islands decreased by 66% in March

A total of 3,072 migrants left Greece compared to 1,597 arrivals on the Aegean islands and the Evros land border in January-March, the Migration Ministry said on Friday, noting a 66% drop in the number of resident asylum-seekers on the islands and 36% in the country.

It said moreover that the 82% reduction of flows compared to the first quarter of 2020 and the 48% drop in pending asylum cases were the main reasons behind the decongestion of the islands.

Indicatively, there have been no arrivals on the island of Leros since March 2020. Similarly, Samos has not had any arrivals for four consecutive months and a total of just 241 overall since March 2020 compared to 8,600 in the period from March 2019 to April 2020.

There are currently fewer than 60,000 asylum seekers and refugees in accommodation structures around Greece, with a significant decline registered on the islands.