Migrant sea crossings to Europe drop sharply as deaths rise: IOM

More than 2,200 migrants died or vanished at sea in 2026, despite declining crossings into Europe, says IOM.

Some of the immigrants rescued at sea after arrival at the dock of Arrecife, Lanzarote island, Spain, September 16, 2026 [Adriel Perdomo/EPA]

The number of migrants crossing to Europe via sea routes has dropped sharply since January this year, as the journey is becoming more dangerous, according to a new report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The agency said about 60,000 migrants and refugees reached Europe by boat so far in 2026, down 39 percent from roughly 98,000 over the same period last year.

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The new report shows that, despite the decline, at least 2,292 people have died or gone missing attempting the crossing, up from 1,999 over the same period last year, many on overcrowded, ill-suited boats departing Libya’s coast.

“These figures tell two stories at once,” IOM Director General Amy Pope said Thursday.

“Fewer people are arriving by sea in Europe than at this point last year,” Pope said, noting that “people are still dying and going missing in alarming numbers trying to reach safety”.

“Behind every number is a human being, a family, a community,” she added, calling for “sustained international cooperation that saves lives, protects people on the move, combats trafficking and exploitation, and expands safe, regular pathways”.

“Nearly every death and disappearance at sea is preventable,” she said.

The toll varies by route, but the Mediterranean and Atlantic routes are “the deadliest maritime routes in the world”, according to the IOM.

A picture shows makeshift tents of migrants on Benitez beach in Ceuta, Spain, on September 13, 2026 [Antonio Sempere/AFP]

Arrivals via the Central Mediterranean, the main crossing from North Africa to Italy, fell by more than half, yet deaths there still climbed from 844 to 996.

Greece recorded a smaller drop in arrivals alongside a sharp rise in deaths, from 284 to 417. Spain saw both arrivals and its overall numbers fall, though 879 people died or went missing on routes leading there.

The migration agency says the majority of people attempting to migrate are fleeing war and persecution. IOM surveys of migrants on the Central Mediterranean route found most cited economic hardship as their main reason for leaving, followed by conflict and targeted violence.

The agency has documented that more than 104,000 people have recently fled the war in Yemen, alongside large-scale displacement out of Lebanon and Syria amid the region’s ongoing conflicts.

The true death toll is almost certainly higher, IOM noted, since many boats vanish without ever being recorded.

Several European governments have pushed recently towards tougher border policies , driven in part by growing pressure from right-wing parties across the continent.

The European Union agreed in June to new rules allowing migrant deportations to countries outside the bloc. IOM is calling instead for more legal migration routes into Europe and stronger measures to reduce the risks along existing crossings.

The report follows a migration crisis that gripped Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta in July, when more than 70,000 people crossed from Morocco over two days.

At least 90 people died en route, triggering weeks of nationwide protests over the government’s handling of the influx.

国际移民组织表示，尽管前往欧洲的偷渡人数有所下降，但2026年仍有超过2200名移民在海上死亡或失踪。

2026年9月16日，部分移民抵达西班牙兰萨罗特岛阿雷西费码头后在海上获救。[Adriel Perdomo/EPA]

根据国际移民组织（IOM）的一份新报告，自今年1月以来，经海路前往欧洲的移民人数急剧下降，因为旅程变得越来越危险。

该机构表示，截至2026年，约有6万名移民和难民乘船抵达欧洲，比去年同期约9.8万人减少了39%。

西班牙请求欧盟协助处理5000名休达移民，当地局势动荡不安（列表1/4）

西班牙桑切斯称俄罗斯和以色列散布有关休达危机的虚假信息（共4条，此为第2条）

列表 3/4：五人死亡，数十人恐在加那利群岛附近漂流的船只上遇难

名单4/4：五个欧盟国家正逐步推进在2027年前达成移民“遣返中心”协议

最新报告显示，尽管偷渡人数有所下降，但仍有至少 2292 人在试图偷渡过程中死亡或失踪，高于去年同期的 1999 人，其中许多人乘坐的是从利比亚海岸出发的超载且不合适的船只。

“这些数字同时讲述了两个故事，”国际移民组织总干事艾米·波普周四表示。

“与去年同期相比，乘船抵达欧洲的人数有所减少，”教皇说，“但仍有大量人员在试图抵达安全地点时死亡或失踪，人数之多令人震惊。”

她补充说：“每一个数字背后都是一个人、一个家庭、一个社区”，并呼吁“持续开展国际合作，拯救生命，保护流动人口，打击贩运和剥削，并扩大安全、正规的途径”。

“几乎所有海上死亡和失踪事件都是可以预防的，”她说。

根据国际移民组织的说法，不同航线的死亡人数各不相同，但地中海和大西洋航线是“世界上最致命的海上航线”。

2026年9月13日，一张照片显示西班牙休达贝尼特斯海滩上移民搭建的临时帐篷。[Antonio Sempere/AFP]

经由地中海中部（北非至意大利的主要通道）抵达的人数减少了一半以上，但死亡人数仍然从 844 人攀升至 996 人。

希腊入境人数降幅较小，但死亡人数却急剧上升，从 284 人增至 417 人。西班牙入境人数和总人数均有所下降，但有 879 人在前往西班牙的途中死亡或失踪。

移民机构表示，大多数试图移民的人都是为了逃离战争和迫害。国际移民组织对地中海中部路线上的移民进行的调查发现，大多数人将经济困难列为他们离开的主要原因，其次是冲突和有针对性的暴力。

该机构记录显示，近期已有超过 104,000 人逃离也门战争，同时，由于该地区持续不断的冲突，黎巴嫩和叙利亚也出现了大规模的人口流离失所。

国际移民组织指出，实际死亡人数几乎肯定更高，因为许多船只失踪而从未被记录在案。

最近，一些欧洲国家政府开始推行更严格的边境政策，部分原因是受到欧洲大陆右翼政党日益增长的压力。

欧盟于6月同意了允许将移民遣返至欧盟以外国家的新规。国际移民组织则呼吁开辟更多进入欧洲的合法移民途径，并采取更有力的措施降低现有偷渡路线的风险。

这份报告是在西班牙北非飞地休达在7月份爆发移民危机之后发布的，当时两天内有超过7万人从摩洛哥越境进入休达。

至少有 90 人在途中死亡，引发了持续数周的全国性抗议活动，抗议政府对难民涌入的处理方式。