No fewer than 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 by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday.
An estimated 340,000 family members were directly affected. While arrivals have declined in some regions, 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). DTM tracks movements, route changes, and conditions via field monitoring and government data, while MMP documents deaths and disappearances using official records, media reports, and information from IOM missions worldwide.
The reports show how drivers at origin and policy changes along routes are reshaping migration, while the human cost of unsafe journeys continues to rise.
“Routes are shifting due to conflict, climate pressures, and policy changes, but the risks remain very real,” IOM Director-General Amy Pop said. “Behind these numbers are people taking dangerous journeys and families left waiting for news that may never come. Data is critical to designing interventions that reduce risks, save lives, and promote safer migration.”
Regionally, migration patterns are changing: Northbound flows in Central America fell sharply, European arrivals declined but shifted in nationality, and movements from East Africa toward Southern Africa increased late in the year due to labour demand shifts. In West Africa, arrivals to the Canary Islands dropped, but journeys became longer, riskier, and more dispersed.
Across all regions, thousands of migrants remain stranded with limited access to shelter, healthcare, and protection, while returns and relocations strain local services. The findings underscore that changing routes do not mean safer journeys—deaths, disappearances, and suffering persist.
Ahead of the International Migration Review Forum in May, IOM is calling for renewed commitments to protect migrants, prevent deaths, and support affected families. Evidence shows that fewer movements do not automatically mean safer journeys, and saving lives requires stronger international cooperation and sustained investment in evidence-based responses.
