Nearly 8,000 migrants were reported dead or missing worldwide in 2025, bringing the total since 2014 to more than 82,000, according to new data released on Tuesday by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The agency estimates that at least 340,000 family members have been directly affected. While arrivals declined in some regions, the data show migration routes are shifting rather than easing, with risks remaining high along increasingly dangerous journeys.
The findings draw on IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Global Overview of Migration Routes and new analysis from the Missing Migrants Project (MMP). The DTM monitors movements, evolving routes and conditions along migration corridors through field assessments and government data, while the MMP records migrant deaths and disappearances using official sources, media reports and information from IOM missions worldwide.
Together, the reports highlight how drivers in countries of origin and policy changes along migration routes are reshaping journeys, even as the human cost of unsafe migration continues to grow.
“Routes are shifting in response to conflict, climate pressures and policy changes, but the risks are still very real,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope. “Behind these numbers are people taking dangerous journeys and families left waiting for news that may never come. Data is critical to understanding these routes and designing interventions that can reduce risks, save lives and promote safer migration pathways.”
According to the 2025 Global Overview of Migration Routes, lower arrival figures in some regions do not reflect reduced migration pressure but instead point to altered pathways as enforcement measures, conflict dynamics and environmental stresses disrupt established routes.
In the Americas, northbound movements along the Central American route fell sharply compared with 2024. In Europe, overall arrivals declined, but the composition changed, with Bangladeshi nationals becoming the largest arriving group while Syrian arrivals dropped following political and policy shifts. In the Horn of Africa, movements towards Saudi Arabia decreased slightly from 2024 but remained above 2023 levels, while flows from East Africa to Southern Africa increased late in the year amid shifting labour demand in southern Ethiopia.
Along the West African Atlantic route, arrivals to the Canary Islands fell markedly after strengthened border co-operation, but journeys became longer, riskier and more geographically dispersed. Across regions, DTM data show persistent pressure along migration routes, with thousands of migrants stranded in border areas with limited access to shelter, healthcare and protection. Returns and relocations also increased, placing additional strain on local services and complicating reintegration.
Taken together, the findings indicate that changing routes does not equate to reduced harm. As journeys become more fragmented and hazardous, deaths, disappearances and the suffering of families left behind remain a constant reality.
The reports reflect IOM’s route-based approach, linking mobility tracking with analysis of risks and fatalities to better target interventions, allocate resources and support governments along key migration corridors.
Ahead of the International Migration Review Forum in May, IOM is calling for renewed commitments to protect migrants, prevent deaths and disappearances, and improve support for families affected by migration tragedies. The organisation said the evidence is clear: fewer movements do not automatically mean safer journeys, and saving lives will require stronger international co-operation and sustained investment in evidence-based responses.
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