Saidur, a resident of Madaripur, left Bangladesh for Greece a year ago by crossing land and sea routes illegally. He is still living there. His journey began in Oman, then continued through Iran and Turkey before reaching Greece by land. To travel from Oman to Iran, he boarded a small trawler. The trip was supposed to take four hours, but he spent five days and nights drifting at sea.

After reaching Iran’s Bandar Abbas, he continued toward Turkey by motorcycle and on foot, spending days in forests without food. Crossing from Turkey into Greece was the most dangerous part of his journey. He waited for three days in the forest near the border before sneaking into Greece. Over the course of the 17–18 days journey, he survived on water. At times, four people shared a single bottle of water, and three people split one piece of dry bread.

The traffickers took BDT 450,000 from Saidur just for crossing from Turkey into Greece. In total, he spent over BDT 2 million to reach Greece from Bangladesh.

Saidur’s story is not unique. Every year, thousands of Bangladeshis risk their lives, trekking through mountains, forests, and seas to reach European countries illegally in search of work. Human trafficking networks involved in this process use countries in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe as transit routes, linking Bangladeshi traffickers with international criminal groups. While some manage to reach their destinations, many others face tragic ends along the way.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a total of 97,832 Bangladeshis entered European countries illegally between 2020 and 2024. Of them, 58,029 traveled by land and sea routes, while 39,803 used the Western Balkan and Eastern European routes as transit points.

By comparison, data from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) show that a total of 98,866 Bangladeshis legally migrated to Europe for employment through work permits during the same period.

Migration experts believe the real number of Bangladeshis heading to Europe, driven by the pursuit of better lives and financial stability, is even higher. They also attribute the problem to the authorities’ failure to bring traffickers to justice.

BMET data show that in 2024, only 20,839 Bangladeshis legally migrated to EU countries — less than half the number recorded the previous year. The highest number in the past five years was in 2023, when 46,242 Bangladeshis went to Europe. In 2022, the figure was 23,806; in 2021, it was 6,239; and in 2020, only 1,740 Bangladeshis traveled to Europe for employment.

Officials say that because legal routes have narrowed, more people are choosing the risky land and sea routes. Suman Mia from Habiganj reached Italy after paying brokers BDT 1.1 million to get to Libya and a total of BDT 2.25 million to reach Italy. He told Bonik Barta, “First I went from Bangladesh to Dubai. From Dubai I went to Libya. After staying there four months I crossed the Mediterranean in a small boat and then reached Italy. The waves were indescribable. It was very hard. Many people come to Europe after days of hunger and sleeplessness to fulfill a dream. The Europe craze is a dangerous addiction. I would urge no one to take such risks.”

He said, “Some go from Greece to Albania and then to Italy. Others enter Turkey via Iran. Those who come by land suffer a great deal. They have to survive harsh conditions. I signed with a broker to come to Libya for BDT 1.1 million. From there it cost BDT 2.25 million to get to Italy.”

According to the IOM’s “Bangladesh Migration Snapshot Report,” a total of 15,304 Bangladeshis took land and sea routes to various European countries in 2024. In 2023 the figure was 13,773, in 2022 it was 16,487, and in 2021 and 2020 it was 7,955 and 4,510 respectively. Using the Western Balkan and Eastern European routes as transit, 3,427 migrants traveled in 2024, compared with 9,863 in 2023, 10,040 in 2022, 7,629 in 2021 and 8,844 in 2020.

The IOM report says the primary land-and-sea destinations for Bangladeshis have become five European countries: Italy, Greece, Malta, Cyprus and Spain, with Italy at the top. Migrants are using Western Balkan and Eastern European countries such as Slovenia, Albania, Bosnia, Romania, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo as transit points. In 2024, a total of 3,427 Bangladeshis used these countries as transit routes; in 2023 the number was 9,863. Many become trapped in these transit countries and cannot move on.

Migration and refugee expert Asif Munir told Bonik Barta, “The real number going to Europe illegally is probably higher and the trend will grow. European countries often relax immigration rules or offer asylum options for diversity, which creates a pattern: people think, however we manage to get there, we will figure out the rest later. They don’t worry about returning home. Seeing earlier examples encourages more people to go. Because international networks are involved, Bangladesh cannot tackle this problem alone. No country has been very successful in bringing those international networks to justice. The failure to prosecute criminal rings both at home and abroad is a major cause. That is why the tendency to go to Europe illegally is increasing.”