Dhaka: Over 7,100 migrants and refugees have died or remained missing on world migratory routes, according to International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

This is the highest yearly number IOM has ever recorded, and represents an average of 20 deaths per day, suggesting the deaths of another 200-300 men, women and children well may be recorded worldwide before 2016 comes to an end.

This week’s number of migrant deaths recorded globally in 2016 was compiled by IOM’s Missing Migrants Project and Global Migration Data Analysis Centre.

By comparison, the total fatalities compiled by IOM in 2014 (5,267) and 2015 (5,740) both fell hundreds of victims short of the 6,000 mark, a figure that was surpassed this year before the end of November.

IOM reports the number of migrants recorded as dead or missing and presumed dead - appears to be rising across all regions, including the Mediterranean, Northern and Southern Africa, as well as in Central America and in the United States-Mexico border region. Each already has surpassed those recorded in these regions through all of 2015, according to recent IOM data.

The findings of 4Mi’s survey indicate that over 700 migrants from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia have died during migration in 2016. These deaths are due to vehicle accidents, violent attacks and other harm associated with a lack of access to medicines, shelter, food and water during their journey.

The majority of these deaths occurred in Sudan, Egypt and Libya. It is likely that many more deaths go unrecorded by any official government or humanitarian aid agency.

IOM Rome’s Flavio Di Giacomo reported Thursday that 2,124 migrants have been rescued since IOM’s last report earlier this week. He added that on Wednesday Italian authorities reported another shipwreck, which claimed at least 20 victims. Survivors were brought to the port of Augusta.