News 12 August 2026 Migration Routes Grow Dangerous Even as Irregular Arrivals Fall in 2026, New IOM Data Show

Geneva, 12 August 2026 - Migrant deaths more than doubled along the Central Mediterranean Route and tripled along the Eastern Mediterranean Route in the first four months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, even as the number of people arriving in Europe fell sharply, according to new data released today by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

New IOM route-based data show that severe weather, conflict, economic pressure and changing migration policies reshaped migration journeys across multiple regions during the first four months of 2026. Along the Central Mediterranean, 821 people died or went missing, an increase of 111 per cent, while arrivals fell by 46 per cent to 8,577. More than half of those deaths, 430, were recorded in January alone, when Cyclone Harry struck the region. Along the Eastern Mediterranean, 244 people died, a rise of 259 per cent, with many fatalities linked to sea crossings that ended in disasters near Crete.

"Fewer arrivals do not mean safer journeys," said IOM Deputy Director General Ugochi Daniels. "Behind every one of these numbers is a family waiting for news that never comes. As journeys grow longer and more dangerous, saving lives at sea and on land remains a shared responsibility, and one that no country can meet alone."

IOM data also show that along the Western African Atlantic Route, arrivals to Spain fell by 78 per cent to 2,276, the steepest decline of any route to Europe. Departure points have continued to shift further south along the West African coast, lengthening the sea crossing and raising the risks people face.

Not all routes saw declines. Arrivals to Spain along the Western Mediterranean Route rose by 66 per cent to 5,647, driven largely by a threefold increase in land crossings to Ceuta and Melilla. Arrivals in Yemen along the Horn of Africa Eastern Route rose by 9 per cent to 70,200, in line with seasonal patterns. In Central America, northbound movement through Panama's Darién region has almost stopped, with 135 transits recorded.

Hostilities in the Middle East also impacted mobility patterns across the region and beyond during the reporting period. Following the escalation that began in late February, large-scale displacement was recorded in Lebanon and cross-border returns to the Syrian Arab Republic rose through March and April, while pressure grew on labour migration and remittance flows across South Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

"Attention tends to settle on a handful of routes, but nearly half of the world's 304 million international migrants live within their own region, moving for work, family, education and safety," said Daniels. "Good data is not a substitute for solutions, but there are no solutions without it. When everyone is working from the same clear picture, better decisions follow."

The Global Overview of Migration Routes (January to April 2026) brings together data from IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), IOM's Missing Migrants Project, Regional Data Hubs and government partners to track migration trends across major routes worldwide.

Download the Report here.

For more information, please visit IOM's Media Centre.