Khaberni - The International Organization for Migration, affiliated with the United Nations, stated that about 8,000 people died or went missing last year on dangerous migration routes such as the Mediterranean Sea and the Horn of Africa, indicating that the real number could be much higher in light of decreased funding which affected the arrival of humanitarian aid and tracking of deaths.
The organization stated that legal migration routes are declining, which is driving more people to resort to smugglers, while Europe, the United States, and other regions are enhancing law enforcement and heavily investing in deterrent measures.
In a statement released today, Thursday, the general director of the International Organization for Migration, Amy Pope, said, "The continued loss of lives on migration routes is a global failure that we cannot accept as normal."
She added, "These deaths are not inevitable. When safe pathways are out of reach, people are forced to embark on dangerous journeys and fall into the hands of smugglers and human traffickers. We must act now to expand safe and regular pathways and ensure the protection of those in need, regardless of their status."
Missing
The International Organization for Migration stated, "There are reports of hundreds missing at sea that have yet to be confirmed."
The organization warned that the first two months of 2026 have already witnessed "an unprecedented number of migrant deaths" in the Mediterranean Sea, where 606 deaths were recorded as of last Tuesday, despite a sharp decline in the numbers arriving in Italy.
The organization pointed out that while the number of deaths along migration routes decreased to 7,667 in 2025 from about 9,200 in 2024, after a decline in the number of those attempting to undertake dangerous illegal journeys, particularly across the Americas, this decrease reveals a shrinking access to information and a lack of funding that has hindered efforts to track deaths.
According to the organization, sea routes remain among the deadliest, with at least 2,108 people dying or going missing in the Mediterranean Sea last year, and 1,047 people via the Atlantic route leading to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The organization reported that fewer migrants are trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border or navigate the Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama.
The organization, headquartered in Geneva, is among several relief organizations affected by a major U.S. funding cut, forcing them to scale back or shut down programs in ways that, it says, will severely impact migrants.
