In 2024, reports revealed the disappearance of more than 50,000 missing migrant children over three years
85% confidence
MigrationEuropean Union
Omissions
The figure of 51,433 comes from a journalistic investigation, not from official EU or government statistics.
The exact time period covered is 2021-2023 (three years), not 'three years to 2024'.
The figure refers specifically to 'unaccompanied minors' (not all migrant children).
The investigation was published in April 2024 and won the EU journalism prize in October 2024.
Sources
PrimaryEuropean Parliament Press ReleaseLost in Europe won the 2024 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism for its investigation into the disappearance of over 50,000 unaccompanied migrant children
SecondaryLost in Europe51,433 unaccompanied minors disappeared from asylum centres in Europe between 2021 and 2023