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]Published On 21 Apr 202621 Apr 2026Nearly 8,000 people died or disappeared on migration routes last year, with sea routes to Europe the most deadly, according to the United Nations.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration said that many of the victims were lost in “invisible shipwrecks,” as it released new figures in a report on Tuesday.
“These figures bear witness to our collective failure to prevent these tragedies,” Maria Moita, who directs the UN agency’s humanitarian and response department, told a news conference.
The figure of 7,904 people that the UN counted as died or missing in 2025 constituted a fall from the all-time high of 9,197 in 2024, the IOM said in its report. However, it added that the drop was partly due to 1,500 suspected cases that went unverified due to aid cuts.
Total deaths since 2014 exceed 82,000, with about 340,000 family members estimated to have been directly affected.
More than four in every 10 deaths and disappearances occurred on sea routes to Europe, the IOM reports.
“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,” the report reads.
Many cases were so-called “invisible shipwrecks” where entire boats are lost at sea and never found.
The West African route northwards accounted for 1,200 deaths, while Asia reported a record number of deaths, including hundreds of Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar or misery in crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh.
The organisation stressed that the data showed migration routes “are shifting rather than easing, with risks remaining high along increasingly dangerous journeys”.
“Routes are shifting in response to conflict, climate pressures and policy changes, but the risks are still very real,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope.
“Behind these numbers are people taking dangerous journeys and families left waiting for news that may never come,” she added.
“Data is critical to understanding these routes and designing interventions that can reduce risks, save lives and promote safer migration pathways.”
