IOM says 1,492 Afghans died or went missing on migration routes in 2025

At least 1,492 Afghans died or went missing during migration journeys worldwide in 2025, most on the Afghanistan–Iran route, according to a new International Organization for Migration (IOM) report.

The IOM’s Missing Migrants Project said Afghans were the largest group among Asia-Pacific nationals recorded as dead or missing during international migration last year. The report stated: “Most individuals whose fatalities were recorded in the Asia-Pacific region were from Afghanistan (1,492),” adding that 1,323 deaths and disappearances involving Afghan nationals occurred in the Afghanistan-Iran region.

According to the report, the area is a common transit route for Afghans before they attempt crossings towards Türkiye and Europe. It said the Afghanistan-Iran region “is a common area of transit for Afghans before attempting the crossing to Türkiye and Europe”. It also recorded 70 Afghan deaths on the Iran-Türkiye route and 102 during the ongoing return of Afghan nationals from Iran and Pakistan in 2025.

• More than 300 Afghan migrants rescued from cold near Iran border
• Spain to regularise roughly half a million undocumented migrants

The IOM said sickness and lack of access to adequate healthcare during migration caused 563 deaths among Asia-Pacific nationals in 2025, while vehicle accidents and hazardous transport accounted for a further 395. It said: “Afghan nationals represented the majority for the latter two causes, with a combined total of 912 deaths.” 

The report also highlighted the dangers of winter crossings. It said more than 40 Afghan nationals lost their lives in December while crossing the Afghanistan-Iran border area through irregular routes, and at least 78 hypothermia-related deaths involving Asia-Pacific nationals were recorded in 2025. 

AnewZ contacted Afghan authorities for comment on the IOM report but had not received a response at the time of publication.

The IOM said the true toll is likely higher because many migrant deaths and disappearances go unrecorded, especially along irregular routes and in conflict-affected or inaccessible areas. The report stated that the data “should be considered as the minimum estimate of the true number of migrant deaths and disappearances in the world.”

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