520,085 migrants crossed the Darién Gap in 2023, which is more than double the year before, risking death in one of the world's most dangerous journeys - and that, is only the official number.

Kuhika Shrivastava

For decades, the Darién Gap was crossed by only a handful of adventurers each year. Today, it has become the deadliest corridor in the Western Hemisphere's migration crisis. In 2023 alone, more than 520,000 people including more than 113,000 children made this dangerous journey, more than double the previous year's record.

They come from Venezuela, fleeing economic collapse. From Haiti, escaping gang violence. From Ecuador, China, Afghanistan, and dozens of other countries. All share the same destination: the United States, and the promise of something better.

The Darién Gap

A 60-mile stretch of roadless jungle separating Colombia and Panama - the only break in the Pan-American Highway that otherwise connects Alaska to Argentina.

The five-to-fifteen-day trek

The 5-to-15-day trek takes migrants through dense rainforest, steep mountains, and fast-flowing rivers. Temperatures reach 95°F with suffocating humidity. Crocodiles, venomous snakes, and criminal gangs await.

The Exponential Rise

Migrants are crossing the Darién in record numbers. After a pause during the early pandemic years, unauthorized migration through Panama exploded. Panama’s National Migration Service keeps annual totals of those who make it through. The data of yearly crossings (2018–2024) shows this climb: from 8,445 in 2018 to 221,102 in 2019, a dip to 8,594 in 2020 (during COVID), then 133,653 in 2021, 248,784 in 2022 and 520,085 in 2023 (the peak). Official reports for 2024 list 302,203 crossings. These public figures were confirmed by Panama’s migration authorities and by independent monitoring groups. That year set a new global record for this route. If compared, only “a couple hundred people annually” attempted this trek a decade ago. The spike eased somewhat in 2024.

The 2023 surge had many drivers - changing migration policies across Latin America had left very few legal routes, the U.S. rescinded Title 42 at the start of 2023, ending a pandemic-era rule that had quickly expelled many asylum-seekers at the border. Even as asylum was becoming more difficult to secure in the U.S., word spread that the end of Title 42 had opened a brief window. And a tripartite plan between the U.S., Colombia and Panama to regularize legal migration routes was not yet in place. Desperate families and young people went back into the gap in unprecedented numbers.

Source: The New Humanitarian (Jan. 2024).

Who Is Crossing?

This trend shows how politics and crisis affect migration. A wave of Venezuelan migrants began arriving after 2021, showing rapid growth. Panama’s new government, in office since mid-2024, then built fences and imposed fines to slow the flow. They deported some who crossed illegally, yet allowed tens of thousands from troubled countries to continue north.

Rising Sexual Violence

Aid groups and government records both show hundreds of reported rapes and assaults, though experts say that the true number might be higher. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has treated dozens of survivors at clinics near the gap, and its staff say the cruelty has escalated sharply. Official statistics and MSF case data show a disturbing picture of growing abuse.

The graph above (from MSF and government data) would compare reported sexual assaults vs. medical cases from 2018 through 2024. In 2023, Panama’s authorities officially recorded only 69 cases of sexual violence on the route, but MSF treated 462 survivors by November 2023

In 2022, the official count was 91, while MSF treated 232 people. Clearly, MSF’s numbers far exceed official figures, showing the underreporting and underdocumentation. Survivors mostly do not report to the police. In most cases, it is because they want to keep moving, fear retaliation, or are just traumatized. So, aid clinics see many more cases.

The Missing and the Dead

IOM’s Missing Migrants Project and other investigators track fatalities here. Their data show several trends. Deaths spiked in 2024 even as crossings dipped slightly. 2024 saw 174 documented deaths or disappearances, surpassing the previous 146 in 2022. (Lower figures for 2020–2021 reflect fewer migrants then.) Together, those years mark the deadliest period on record in the Darién.

A breakdown of causes of death shows drowning as the top killer. Migrants cross many rivers, and strong currents have swept hundreds of them away. Other frequent causes are exposure to harsh weather, accidental injuries, and a smaller but significant share of violence or extortion murders.

Migrants also perish in hun­dreds on routes off-season. The monthly fatalities (aggregating all years) peaks in January (125 deaths) and March (94), then narrows in the summer. January is especially lethal because it coincides with a migration spike after end-of-year holidays and before spring weather worsens.

Women also comprise a notable share of the deaths. Men make up a substantial amount and the largest group of casualties (often young men who underestimated the journey or pushed themselves past exhaustion). In 2024, Panama reported 42 female, 61 male, and 22 child bodies identified among the dead….and many more remained unidentified.

Children Deaths by year

One heartbreaking statistic is the number of children who die en route. In most years, a few dozen minors lost their lives in the jungle. The data records 22 child fatalities in 2024 alone, up from 15 in 2022 and 14 in 2023 (all child fatalities were under age 5). The chart above (children by year) shows a spike in 2019 (10 kids) and again in 2024 (22 kids).

Root Causes and the American Dream

The numbers above - crossing totals, nationalities, sexual assaults and fatalities, they all reflect the push and pull factors. Migrants in the Darién Gap are fleeing crises or seeking opportunity. Nearly all come from countries suffering violence, poverty or natural disaster. Venezuelans cite hyperinflation and food shortages. Haitians cite gang warfare and political collapse. Asians and Africans cite human rights abuses or conflict at home. In many origin countries, economic collapse or extreme rule leaves very few alternatives.

Many migrants arrive in Panama saying they walk for the American Dream.

Methodology

Data for this story was compiled from official Panamanian government statistics, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and Human Rights Watch reports. Crossing figures represent individuals recorded entering Panama through the Darién Gap. Actual numbers may be higher as some crossings go unreported.

References

  1. [1] Servicio Nacional de Migración de Panamá. “Estadísticas Migratorias.” Migración Panamá, 2025.
    https://www.migracion.gob.pa/estadisticas/
  2. [2] Reuters. “Many Venezuelans Have Been Fleeing a Prolonged Economic Collapse, Panama Says.” Jan. 2, 2025.
    https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/over-300000-migrants-crossed-latin-americas-darien-gap-2024-down-42-2025-01-02/#:~:text=Many%20Venezuelans%20have%20been%20fleeing
  3. [3] The New Humanitarian. “Darien Gap Migration Crisis: Six Graphs and One Map.” Jan. 15, 2024.
    https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/maps-and-graphics/2024/01/15/darien-gap-migration-crisis-six-graphs-and-one-map
  4. [4] Médecins Sans Frontières. “Sexual Violence and Kidnapping Data Reported in The New Humanitarian Analysis.”
    https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/maps-and-graphics/2024/01/15/darien-gap-migration-crisis-six-graphs-and-one-map#:~:text=During%202022%2C%20M%C3%A9decins%20Sans%20Fronti%C3%A8res
  5. International Organization for Migration. “2024 Becomes Deadliest Year on Record for Migrants, UN Migration Agency Says.” Anadolu Agency, Dec. 2024.
    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/2024-becomes-deadliest-year-on-record-for-migrants-un-migration-agency/3516287
  6. [5] The Guardian. “Sexual Attacks Surge in Panama’s Darien Gap as Migrants Face Increasing Violence.” Feb. 5, 2024.
    https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/feb/05/darien-gap-sexual-attacks-panama-colombia-migrants
  7. [6] Council on Foreign Relations. “Crossing the Darien Gap: Migrants Risk Death on Journey to the U.S.” 2024.
    https://www.cfr.org/article/crossing-darien-gap-migrants-risk-death-journey-us
  8. [7] Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. “Monitoring Migrants in Motion: Darien Gap.” May 2025.
    https://www.ohchr.org/es/stories/2025/05/monitoring-motion-migrants-darien-gap
  9. [8] UNICEF and UNHCR. “Child Protection Alerts for Darien Gap Migrants, 2024-2025.”
  10. [9] Reuters. “Over 300,000 Migrants Crossed Latin America’s Darien Gap in 2024, Down 42%.” Jan. 2, 2025.
    https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/over-300000-migrants-crossed-latin-americas-darien-gap-2024-down-42-2025-01-02/