In 2025, the data show that at least 7.900 deaths or disappearances were documented globally across migration routes. This total includes at least 3.371 men, 683 women and 368 children. According to the IOM, the figures are based on reported cases and may be affected by differences in data availability across regions and routes. The organisation also notes that some cases could not be classified by age or sex due to missing information.

The data indicate that 3.400 deaths and disappearances were recorded on sea routes to Europe in 2025, representing 43 per cent of the global total. Of these, 1.330 were recorded in the Central Mediterranean, and more than 1.200 on the Western Africa–Atlantic route towards the Canary Islands. The same data also refer to at least 1.500 additional unverified missing persons at sea on these routes in 2025, which are not included in confirmed totals due to insufficient information.

Across other regions, the data show variations by route. In Asia, the IOM reports more than 3.300 deaths in 2025, including at least 1.323 Afghan nationals and nearly 900 Rohingya people recorded on sea crossings in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The data also include deaths recorded on routes linking the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, particularly on crossings towards Yemen and Saudi Arabia. In the Americas, recorded deaths decreased compared with 2024. The IOM attributes variations in figures across regions to changes in migration routes, reporting conditions and data availability, including limitations in the documentation of incidents in certain areas.

For further details, please read this press release from IOM and The Missing Migrants Project Annual Report.