Between 900 and 3,000 migrants died in 2025 trying to reach Spain by sea

Eduardo González Nearly 2,500 migrants lost their lives at sea in 2025 while heading to Europe in search of a better future, representing an average of at least seven deaths per day. Almost 900 people, more than a third of the total, died while trying to reach Spain. According to data from Missing Migrants, a platform of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) that monitors the number of missing and deceased migrants at sea, at least 2,469 people lost their lives at sea during 2025 while heading to Europe. “While, according to this report, the number of deaths decreased by nearly 900 compared to 2024, the figure remains unbearably high and should under no circumstances be normalized,” warns the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR), which cites the study. In the case of Spanish routes, the IOM report documents the deaths of 868 people. According to data from recorded shipwrecks, at least 591 people disappeared or died on the Atlantic route, including 23 children, while at least 277 lost their lives on the Western Mediterranean route, including 11 children. The months of the year also yielded different results: January, February, and November were the deadliest on the Mediterranean route, while the Atlantic route saw the highest number of deaths in August and November. In any case, CEAR points out that “this information only includes those tragedies that have been recorded, so the actual number of deaths could be much higher, as confirmed by specialized organizations, including the IOM itself.” For example, the NGO Caminando Fronteras puts the number of people who have died on Spanish routes at 3,090, “in a context of increasing tragedies, the consolidation of the Algerian route, and the emergence of new, longer migration routes, such as the one through Guinea Conakry.” This figure includes 192 women and 437 children and adolescents and documents 303 tragedies, with particular attention to 70 boats that disappeared without a trace. New routes According to CEAR and IOM, in addition to shipwrecks, often caused by the precarious condition of the boats, many of the deaths recorded on Spanish routes, especially those heading to the Canary Islands, are due to the harsh environmental conditions and lack of access to food, water, and shelter. These are among the main causes of death on Spanish routes, particularly the Canary Islands route. “These figures are a stark reminder of how the lack of legal and safe routes is pushing people to undertake increasingly dangerous journeys to reach safety,” warns CEAR. The report also shows “significant changes” in the routes over the past year. For example, on the Atlantic route, departures from Guinea Conakry in 2025 replaced some of those from Mauritania and Senegal. “This may be related to cooperation with third countries of origin and departure, particularly Mauritania and Senegal, following bilateral agreements aimed at preventing departures from both countries,” according to CEAR. In any case, it warns, “each new route tends to be longer and more dangerous than the previous one.” For example, arrivals in the Canary Islands decreased by 62 percent compared to the total for 2024, and overall, the number of people arriving at the southern border fell by 40 percent. However, the number of people arriving on the Balearic Islands' shores increased by nearly 25 percent, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior. Migrants arriving in the Canary Islands come mainly from Mali, Senegal, and Guinea-Conakry, while those arriving in the Balearic Islands typically come from Algeria and Morocco.

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