By Micah Jonah, February 27, 2026
Nearly 8,000 people died or went missing along dangerous migration routes in 2025. However, the true toll is likely far higher due to funding cuts and limited access to affected areas, the International Organization for Migration said on Thursday.
The agency reported 7,667 recorded deaths last year, down from nearly 9,200 in 2024. However, it warned that the apparent decline may reflect shrinking access to information and reduced tracking capacity rather than a genuine drop in fatalities.
“The continued loss of life on migration routes is a global failure we cannot accept as normal,” IOM Director General Amy Pope said in a statement.
The Geneva-based organization said that tightening migration policies in Europe, the United States and other regions have narrowed legal pathways, pushing more people toward irregular routes controlled by smugglers and traffickers.
Sea crossings remained among the deadliest. At least 2,108 people died or went missing in the Mediterranean in 2025, while 1,047 perished along the Atlantic route to Spain’s Canary Islands.
In Asia, about 3,000 migrant deaths were recorded, more than half involving Afghans. Meanwhile, 922 people died crossing the Horn of Africa from Yemen toward Gulf states, a sharp increase from the previous year. Most were Ethiopians, many of whom perished in three mass shipwrecks.
The IOM said major funding cuts particularly from the United States have forced it and other humanitarian organisations to scale back operations, limiting their ability to monitor migration routes and assist vulnerable people.
The trend has continued into 2026, with 606 migrant deaths recorded in the Mediterranean as of February 24, the agency added.
