Migrants crossing Latin America through Panama’s Darién Gap down by 42% in 2024, shows data

Over 300,000 migrants crossed the Darien Gap into Panama in 2024, 42% fewer than the record number who made the perilous jungle crossing from South America a year earlier, Panama’s migration authorities told Reuters on Thursday.

The dangerous Darien Gap connects Colombia with the Central American nation of Panama and increasing numbers of migrants were making the journey north to reach the United States.

Over 300,000 migrants crossed the Darien Gap into Panama in 2024, 42% fewer than the record number who made the perilous jungle crossing from South America a year earlier, Panama’s migration authorities told Reuters on Thursday.

The dangerous Darien Gap connects Colombia with the Central American nation of Panama and increasing numbers of migrants were making the journey north to reach the United States.

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Many Venezuelans have been fleeing a prolonged economic collapse in the once-prosperous South American oil-producing nation.

“We are working every day to ensure that illegal migration does not reach Panama City or the rest of the country,” Mulino said in a speech to lawmakers on Thursday.

Mulino added that his government has deported 1,548 migrants on flights arranged through an agreement with the United States.

However, 209,000 Venezuelans who crossed the Darien last year were permitted to continue their journey as Panama and Venezuela suspended direct flights after Venezuela’s disputed July election.

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Analysts have warned Panama’s measures may not be ultimately successful because they do not tackle the root issues prompting people to migrate, and that they could make the journey even more dangerous.