After the decline in the past few years, the number of transmigrants in West Flanders has risen again. In 2024, a total of 632 transmigrants were caught, while in 2023 there were fewer than 400. Seventy percent of all transmigrants found in Belgium were found in West Flanders in 2024, while this has fluctuated around 50 percent in recent years.
According to Governor Carl Decaluwé, the cause of the increase is difficult to determine. “There are several factors. Controls are more targeted, the weather plays a factor and policy in the United Kingdom also plays a role.”