ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region Refugee Association says that migration rates have seen a decline with only 30,500 citizens migrating since 2023. Head of the Kurdistan Region Refugee Association, Abubakir Ali, told Rudaw on Tuesday that “between 2023 and 2024, more than 21,000 people from across the Kurdistan Region migrated to European countries. Of this number, around 3,500 were from the Raparin area,” northeast of the Region. Ali further explained that between 2024 and 2025, nearly 8,000 people migrated from the Kurdistan Region, most of them young people. Of this number, 2,300 were from Raparin as well. As for the migration recorded since the beginning of this year, the head of the Kurdistan Region Refugee Association said that "fortunately, the migration rate has significantly decreased this year." Ali stated that according to preliminary and unofficial data, more than 1,500 people migrated from the Kurdistan Region during the first three months of this year. He linked the decline in migration rates from the Kurdistan Region to a reduction in the attractiveness of European countries for migrants, particularly due to their stricter policies to address illegal migration.
