Fewer migrants are reaching Europe by sea but more people are dying, IOM warns
The IOM said nearly 2,300 people died or went missing on Europe-bound sea routes as arrivals fell about 40% this year.
- On Thursday, the International Organization for Migration reported that sea arrivals of migrants and refugees to Europe fell nearly 40% to around 60,000 this year, even as journeys have become increasingly deadly.
- Nearly 2,300 people died or went missing crossing the Mediterranean Sea or Atlantic Ocean in 2026, compared to nearly 2,000 last year, often aboard unseaworthy, overcrowded boats departing from Libya.
- The Central Mediterranean route to Italy saw arrivals plummet from more than 48,000 to more than 21,000, while Greece reported a 47% rise in deaths despite roughly 5,000 fewer arrivals.
- IOM Director General Amy Pope stated "nearly every death is preventable," urging authorities to strengthen international cooperation, combat trafficking, and establish alternative legal migration pathways.
- Despite falling arrivals, the European Union agreed in June to new rules allowing migrant deportations outside the bloc as pressure from right-wing parties to tighten border policies intensifies.
48 Articles
48 Articles
Fewer migrants, but deadlier journeys to Europe
The number of migrants and refugees reaching the continent by sea has dropped sharply this year as many European countries tighten their immigration rules. But despite fewer crossings, more migrants have died. Nearly 2,300 people have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, up from roughly 2,000 during the same period last year, as migrants are taking longer and more dangerous routes. In Greece, for example, arrivals are down, bu…
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has announced a 39 per cent decline in the number of migrants and refugees who have arrived in Europe by sea since the beginning of this year, as opposed to a rise in the number of deaths and missing persons on maritime migration routes.
The number of migrants and refugees arriving in Europe has fallen sharply since the beginning of the year, but the number of deaths on the sea routes to...
Anadolu Ajansı
milletnews.comAt least 2,292 people have died this year, gone missing on Mediterranean, Atlantic irregular migration routes
Compared to the same period last year, however, more people also die on the dangerous sea route to Europe.
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