More than 3,000 Migrants Died Trying to Reach Spain in 2025, Though Deaths Declined from Previous Year
Caminando Fronteras reported that between January 1 and December 15, 2025, a total of 3,090 migrants drowned while attempting to reach Spain. This included 192 women and 437 children. The number of deaths dropped sharply compared to 2024, when there were 10,457 fatalities. Officials attribute the decrease largely to tighter border controls, particularly stricter policing in Mauritania after it signed a €210 million migration deal with the European Union in 2024.
Despite the decline in deaths, activists have warned that migrants may be choosing more dangerous routes, as there were 303 shipwrecks reported and as many as 70 boats reported missing. The Atlantic route to the Canary Islands remained the deadliest in 2025, with 1,906 fatalities. The Algeria-to-Balearic Islands route accounted for 1,037 deaths. Additionally, a new migration route from Guinea to the Canary Islands has emerged.
Up to December 15, 2025, Spain reported 35,935 irregular migrants arriving by sea and land, down from 60,311 during the same period in 2024. The victims came from 30 different countries, mainly West and North African nations, along with individuals from Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Iraq, and Egypt.
Human Rights Watch has accused Mauritanian authorities of abuses against migrants, allegations which Mauritania has rejected.
