BRUSSELS, Feb. 26 (GeokHub) — Nearly 8,000 people died or went missing on dangerous migration routes last year, including crossings of the Mediterranean and the Horn of Africa, but the actual toll is likely far higher, the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Thursday.
Shrinking legal pathways for migration are forcing more people to rely on smugglers, the IOM said, as countries including Europe and the United States increase enforcement and invest in deterrence measures. Funding cuts have also limited humanitarian access and the tracking of deaths, making the crisis harder to measure accurately.
“The continued loss of life on migration routes is a global failure we cannot accept as normal,” IOM Director General Amy Pope said. “These deaths are not inevitable. When safe pathways are out of reach, people are forced into dangerous journeys and into the hands of smugglers and traffickers. We must act now to expand safe and regular routes and ensure people in need can be protected, regardless of their status.”
Although recorded deaths fell to 7,667 in 2025 from nearly 9,200 in 2024, the IOM said this drop reflects fewer irregular journeys and reduced capacity to track fatalities rather than a true decline in danger. The organization, based in Geneva, has been forced to scale back programs due to major U.S. funding cuts, limiting support for migrants along the most perilous routes.
Sea crossings remained among the deadliest. The Mediterranean accounted for at least 2,108 deaths, and the Atlantic route to Spain’s Canary Islands saw 1,047 fatalities. In Asia, around 3,000 deaths were recorded, more than half of them Afghans, while 922 migrants died traveling from Yemen to the Gulf States, mostly Ethiopians, including victims of three mass shipwrecks.
The trend is continuing in 2026. By February 24, 606 people had already died attempting Mediterranean crossings, highlighting the ongoing risks for migrants worldwide.
