US EditionAlmost 8,000 died on migration routes in 2025 but toll likely far higher, says UN agency
Funding cuts and reduced humanitarian access have limited tracking and protection for migrants, with 7,667 deaths reported in 2025 across multiple global migration routes, the UN said.
- The IOM reported almost 8,000 people died or went missing last year on migration routes, but the true toll is likely higher, the Reuters report said.
- Amid funding shortfalls, the International Organization for Migration warned cuts have hit humanitarian access and tracking, while stricter enforcement in Europe and the U.S. pushes migrants to smugglers and traffickers.
- Data from the IOM detail where fatalities concentrated, with at least 2,108 deaths in the Mediterranean and 922 crossing the Horn of Africa from Yemen to Gulf States, mostly Ethiopians, last year.
- Amy Pope, IOM Director General, said the continued loss of life on migration routes is a global failure we cannot accept and urged expanding safe, regular routes to protect people in need.
- Trends into 2026 indicate migrant deaths in the Mediterranean reached 606 by February 24, with the 2025 total falling to 7,667 from nearly 9,200 in 2024, the IOM said.
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15 Articles
Almost 8,000 migrants died or vanished on routes in 2025: UN
Thousands of people died or went missing along global migration routes last year, the UN migration agency has reported. Deaths in the Mediterranean rose sharply early this year despite lower totals recorded in 2025.
The decrease in the number of deaths, which had reached 9,200 in 2024, is due to the decrease in the number of people who have taken irregular migration routes, "especially in the Americas"
Almost 8,000 died on migration routes in 2025 but toll likely far higher, says UN agency
Almost 8,000 people died or went missing last year on perilous migration routes such as across the Mediterranean and Horn of Africa, but the real toll is likely far higher as cuts in funding have hit humanitarian access and tracking of deaths, a U.N. agency said.
At least 7,667 people died or disappeared on migration routes in 2025, a decrease of 16.7% over a year but probably underestimated, said the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Thursday. ...
Perilous Journeys: The High Cost of Shrinking Legal Pathways for Migrants | Science-Environment
Nearly 8,000 people died or went missing on hazardous migration routes in 2025, though the true toll is likely higher due to funding cuts affecting tracking efforts. The reduction in legal migration channels pushes more individuals towards smugglers. Calls are increasing to create safe and regulated migration routes.
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