Mountain Route & Turkish Route

The Eastern Mediterranean and Balkan migration routes represent one of the most active and complex corridors of human movement in the contemporary world. These pathways stretch from the Middle East and South Asia through Turkey and into Europe, shaped by multiple overlapping crises: protracted conflicts, political instability, economic collapse, and increasingly, environmental degradation. While migrants from Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, and various African nations traverse these routes, Afghan nationals have emerged as the dominant group in recent years, their journeys reflecting both the acute failures of their homeland and the limited options available in transit countries.

For decades, Afghanistan has been caught in an unrelenting cycle: conflict tears through communities, political systems crumble and rebuild only to fracture again, and violence becomes the backdrop of daily life. This turbulence drives waves of displacement, while economic stagnation and lack of development push families to seek their futures elsewhere. When Afghan refugees reach Iran—often their first destination—they discover that sanctuary comes with severe limitations. The reality is stark: civil rights are heavily restricted, obtaining residency papers or work permits is virtually impossible, and access to jobs, schools, and hospitals remains frustratingly out of reach. Adding to these challenges, recent mass expulsion campaigns have intensified pressure on Afghan communities, making permanent settlement in Iran increasingly untenable and pushing many to continue their journeys toward Turkey and ultimately Europe.

What drives this migration isn’t just immediate crisis but a convergence of structural failures. War economies persist, labor markets collapse, and entire generations see no viable future at home. Families make difficult calculations based on remittances sent back by those who’ve gone before, creating intergenerational patterns of mobility. Environmental pressures compound these human factors: prolonged droughts and climate impacts devastate agriculture, triggering rural exodus both within and from Iran, adding another layer to an already complex migration landscape.

Over the past decade alone, more than 600,000 Afghans have submitted asylum applications across Europe, making them one of the largest non-European origin groups seeking protection on the continent. In 2025, EU data revealed that Afghan nationals continued to dominate the Eastern Mediterranean and Balkan migration corridors, with 12,251 irregular arrivals recorded on the Eastern route. Perhaps most significantly, these aren’t just young men seeking work: approximately 28 percent of Afghan arrivals in Europe are women, and around 41 percent are children. These data underscore family displacement and protection needs rather than simple labor migration.

The journey itself is treacherous. Afghan and Iranian migrants typically travel overland through Iran into eastern Turkey, navigating the rugged Zagros and Aras mountain ranges where smuggling networks operate in the shadows. They’re evading formidable barriers: Turkey constructed a massive wall along its Iranian border between 2018 and 2019, complete with trenches, fences, watchtowers, and sophisticated surveillance technology. From Turkey, routes diverge: some cross the Aegean Sea toward Greece, others trek through the Balkans toward Southeastern Europe. Despite the dangers, people choose these overland and maritime routes because air travel remains prohibitively expensive and heavily monitored, creating immediate deportation risks that informal crossing points, however hazardous, help them avoid.

The ultimate goal for most migrants is Northern and Western Europe, where asylum systems, social support networks, and family reunification possibilities seem more accessible. Yet the reality often proves more complicated: many are first registered in frontline states like Greece, Italy, and Bulgaria after crossing from Turkey, and from there continue the arduous journey northward through the Balkans, adding distance and uncertainty to an already exhausting quest for safety and stability.