Migration journeys have become increasingly deadly along several major international routes despite a sharp decline in the number of migrants reaching Europe, according to new data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The IOM’s Global Overview of Migration Routes: January–April 2026 revealed that deaths and disappearances along the Central Mediterranean Route more than doubled in the first four months of 2026 compared with the corresponding period in 2025.
The report recorded 821 migrant deaths and disappearances along the route, representing a 111 per cent increase, even as arrivals fell by 46 per cent to 8,577.
Of the deaths recorded, 430 occurred in January, when Cyclone Harry struck the region, highlighting the heightened risks faced by migrants undertaking dangerous sea crossings under adverse weather conditions.
The situation was even more severe along the Eastern Mediterranean Route, where 244 migrants died, representing a 259 per cent increase. According to the IOM, many of the fatalities were associated with sea crossings that ended in disasters around Crete.
IOM Deputy Director General Ugochi Daniels warned that declining arrival figures should not be interpreted as evidence of safer migration routes.
“Fewer arrivals do not mean safer journeys,” Daniels said, stressing that protecting migrants and saving lives at sea and on land remained a shared responsibility.
The Western African Atlantic Route recorded the sharpest fall in arrivals to Europe, with the number of migrants reaching Spain dropping by 78 per cent to 2,276.
However, the IOM said the decline had coincided with a shift in departure points further south along the West African coast, resulting in longer sea journeys and exposing migrants to greater risks.
Migration trends increased along some other routes. Arrivals in Spain through the Western Mediterranean Route rose by 66 per cent to 5,647, largely driven by a threefold increase in land crossings into Ceuta and Melilla.
On the Horn of Africa Eastern Route, arrivals in Yemen increased by nine per cent to 70,200, a pattern the IOM said was broadly consistent with seasonal migration trends.
Meanwhile, northbound migration through Panama’s Darién region virtually collapsed during the reporting period, with only 135 transits recorded.
The IOM also said escalating hostilities in the Middle East from late February had significantly altered migration and displacement patterns, with large-scale displacement reported in Lebanon and an increase in cross-border returns to Syria during March and April.
Labour migration and remittance flows across South Asia, the Middle East and Africa also came under pressure as the regional security situation deteriorated.
Daniels stressed that migration should not be viewed solely through the lens of movement towards Europe, noting that nearly half of the world’s estimated 304 million international migrants live within their regions of origin, moving in search of employment, family reunification, education and safety.
The report draws on data from the IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix, Missing Migrants Project, Regional Data Hubs and government partners to assess migration patterns across major routes between January and April 2026.
The findings point to a growing concern among migration experts: fewer migrant arrivals do not necessarily translate into safer migration. Instead, restrictions and changing migration patterns can push people towards longer, more clandestine and increasingly hazardous routes.
