Fewer migrants and refugees are reaching Europe by boat this year, but the journeys are becoming increasingly deadly. According to a new report by the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM), about 60,000 people arrived via sea routes so far in 2026—a 39 percent drop from roughly 98,000 during the same period last year. However, despite the fall in overall arrivals, at least 2,292 people have died or gone missing at sea, up from 1,999 recorded over the same period last year.
IOM Director General Amy Pope highlighted that these figures tell two stories at once, noting that while overall arrivals are down, people continue to die in alarming numbers on overcrowded and unsuited boats. The trend is visible across major routes. On the Central Mediterranean crossing from North Africa to Italy, arrivals fell by more than half, yet casualties rose from 844 to 996. Greece also recorded an increase in deaths despite fewer arrivals, while routes leading to Spain saw 879 people die or go missing.
The migration agency reported that most people undertaking these perilous sea journeys are fleeing economic hardship, conflict, and targeted violence, citing widespread displacement from countries such as Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon. The IOM stressed that nearly every death at sea is preventable, calling for expanded safe and regular migration pathways rather than tighter border enforcement, as European nations push toward stricter policies including deportations to non-EU countries.