Published on: 2026-09-17
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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September 17, 2026 Refugees and migrants
The number of migrants arriving in Europe by sea has sharply decreased, but the number of dead and missing continues to rise. This was reported on Thursday by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Since the beginning of 2026, about 60 thousand migrants and refugees have arrived in Europe by sea – 39 percent less than during the same period last year.
Leading maritime routes to Europe, the UN emphasizes, remain among the deadliest in the world for migrants. According to IOM data, at least 2,292 people died or went missing, compared to 1,999 the previous year.
“These figures indicate two trends at once,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope. “Fewer people are arriving in Europe, but the number of deaths and disappearances while trying to reach a safe place remains alarmingly high.”
The number of arrivals has decreased most significantly on the central Mediterranean route to Italy — by 55 percent, to 21,393 people. At the same time, the number of deaths on this route increased from 844 to 996.
20,428 people arrived in Greece, and the number of deaths on the Eastern Mediterranean route increased from 284 to 417. Spain, in turn, received 16,794 migrants arriving via the Atlantic and Western Mediterranean routes. There, 879 people died or went missing.
At the same time, from January to mid-September, more than 17,000 migrants were intercepted at sea and returned to Libya. “Behind each number stands a person, a family, a community. The increase in deaths amid a decrease in arrivals indicates that migrants are embarking on increasingly dangerous journeys,” Pope emphasized.
She called for strengthening international cooperation, combating human trafficking and exploitation, as well as expanding safe and legal migration pathways.
The data reflects confirmed cases as of September 15, 2026. Since many shipwrecks and disappearances remain unrecorded, the actual number of victims is likely significantly higher.
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