No fewer than 8,000 migrants were reported dead or missing worldwide in 2025, bringing the total since 2014 to more than 82,000, according to new data released by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday.
At least around 340,000 family members are estimated to have been directly affected. Despite declines in arrivals in some regions, the data shows migration routes are shifting rather than easing, with risks remaining high along increasingly dangerous journeys.
The findings draw on IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Global Overview of Migration Routes and new analysis from the Missing Migrants Projects (MMP).
DTM tracks movements, changing routes and conditions along migration corridors through direct field monitoring and governmental data sources, while MMP documents migrant deaths and disappearances using official records, media reports and information from IOM missions worldwide.
Together, the reports show how drivers at origin and policy changes along the routes are reshaping migration journeys, while the human cost of unsafe migration continues to rise.
“Routes are shifting in response to conflict, climate pressures and policy changes, but the risks are still very real,” IOM Director-General Amy Pop, said in a statement.
“Behind these numbers are people taking dangerous journeys and families left waiting for news that may never come. Data is critical to understanding these routes and designing interventions that can reduce risks, save lives and promote safer migration pathways.”
The 2025 Global Overview of Migration Routes shows that lower arrival figures in some regions do not reflect reduced migration pressure, but rather changing journeys as enforcement measures, conflict dynamics and environmental stress have altered established pathways.
In the Americas, northbound movements along the Central American route fell sharply compared to 2024. In Europe, overall arrivals declined, but the profile of movements changed, with Bangladeshi nationals becoming the largest group arriving while Syrian arrivals fell following political and policy shifts.
In the Horn of Africa, movements towards the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia decreased slightly from 2024 but remained above 2023 levels, while flows from East Africa towards Southern Africa increased late in the year due to shifting labour demands in southern Ethiopia.
Along the Western African Atlantic route, arrivals to the Canary Islands dropped significantly after strengthened border cooperation, but journeys have become longer, riskier and more geographically dispersed.
Across regions, DTM data shows persistent pressures along migration routes. Thousands of migrants were stranded in border areas with limited access to shelter, health care and protection, while returns and relocations increased, placing additional strain on local services and complicating reintegration.
Together, the findings show that changing routes do not mean reduced harm. As journeys become more fragmented and hazardous, deaths, disappearances and the suffering of families left behind remain a persistent reality.
The reports reflect IOM’s route-based approach, linking mobility tracking with analysis of risks and fatalities to better target interventions, prioritise resources and support governments along key migration corridors.
Ahead of the International Migration Review Forum in May, IOM is calling for renewed commitments to protect migrants, prevent deaths and disappearances, and better support families affected by migration tragedies.
The organisation says the evidence is clear: fewer movements do not automatically mean safer journeys, and saving lives requires stronger international cooperation and sustained investment in evidence-based responses.
PICTURE: Refugees from sub-Saharan Africa sit in a makeshift boat intercepted by Tunisian authorities about 50 nautical miles in the Mediterranean sea off the coast of the city of Sfax [File: Fethi Belaid/AFP]
