Refugee and migrant numbers and trends in FYR Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia
Update from the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, Skopje
9 December 2015

An estimated 750,000+ migrants/displaced people have crossed FYR Macedonia so far this year.

Ministry of Interior estimates 300,000+ people entered between 1 January and 7 December 2015.

FYR Macedonia started registering irregular migrants and displaced people only on 19 June 2015.

Registration is done in Gevgelija, where some shelter and basic humanitarian support is provided.

Migrants then pay EUR 25+ to travel north by train, bus or taxi to Tabanovce, near Kumanovo.

Total police registrations between 19 June and 7 December 2015 number 317,507 persons.

Technically, those who register are declaring their intention to seek asylum in the country.

However, only 83 applications for asylum have been submitted since 19 June 2015.

FYR Macedonia is thus fully a transit country, with all those entering leaving as soon as possible.

Initially police were able to register only one-third to one-half of all people entering the country.

However, this gap was remedied in December 2015 and now all entrants are formally registered.

More than half of those on the move now are women and children. Their share is growing.
Gender/age breakdown of registered migrants/refugees since 19 June 2015
Gender/age
Number
Percentage
Men
179,658
56.6
Women
50,637
16.0
Children travelling with families
69,889
22.0
Unaccompanied minors
17,323
5.4
Total
317,507
100
Source: Ministry of Interior, as of 7 December 2015 (moi.gov.mk)

As of 18 November 2015, police are admitting only those with Syrian, Iraqi and Afghani passports.

This selective policy has spawned reports of migrants again seeking to cross borders secretly and
transit the country undetected; this had been the practice before registration was introduced.

185,121 of all registered migrants declared themselves as Syrian, or 58.3 percent.

The share of Syrians has fallen; in summer, the share of Syrians peaked at above 80 percent.
Nationality breakdown of registered migrants/refugees since 19 June 2015
Place of origin
Number
Percentage
Syria
185,121
58.3
Afghanistan
76,653
24.1
Iraq
34,292
11.0
Iran
6,231
2.0
Pakistan
5,416
1.8
Palestine
2,158
0.6
Somalia
1,276
0.4
Bangladesh
1,253
0.4
Morocco
1,317
0.4
Congo
514
0.1
Algeria
453
0.1
Lebanon
434
0.1
Nigeria
279
0.1
Other
2,110
0.6
Total
317,507
100
Source: Ministry of Interior, as of 7 December 2015 (moi.gov.mk)

Full data available in Macedonian language at: http://moi.gov.mk/vest/1010
Serbia

Total of asylum requests so far during 2015 is 492,149.

Around 4,000 refugees and migrants enter south Serbia from FYR Macedonia daily at Miratovac
Refugee Aid Point (RAP), while more less same number (or around 5,000 on 6 December) depart to
Croatia mainly through the Berkasovo/Bapska border crossing and much less through Sid/Tovarnik.

Around 4,000 asylum-seekers are served daily at the Reception Centre (RC) in Presevo.

Refugees and migrants stay in Serbia 36 hours on average before leaving for Croatia.
Croatia

Irregular migrants began entering Croatia on 15 September 2015, when Hungary blocked its border.

Between 15 September and 9 December 2015, Croatia registered 481,158 irregular migrants.

Daily arrivals briefly surged to 8,000 on 9-10 October but are now running around 5,000 per day.

On 8 December 5,278 arrivals were registered.

On 3 November Croatia opened a winter camp with capacity for 5,000 people in Slavonski Brod.

Since then people travel by train directly from Sid in Serbia to the transit camp in Slavonski Brod.

Croatia is also currently solely a transit country; only a handful of people have requested asylum.

Regular updates are available in Croatian and English at: www.mup.hr
EU external borders

The total number of migrants crossing the EU’s external borders in the first nine months of 2015 is
more than 710,000 against 282,000 recorded in all of last year.

In September, 170,000 were detected at the EU external borders, compared to 190,000 in August.
http://frontex.europa.eu/news/710-000-migrants-entered-eu-in-first-nine-months-of-2015-NUiBkk