MADRID, Spain: More than 3,000 people lost their lives attempting to reach Spain by sea in 2025, according to the ‘Guardian’ quoting a new report by the NGO Caminando Fronteras.
While the figure remains tragic, it marks a significant decline from the previous year, when more than 10,000 deaths were recorded.
Between January and mid-December 2025, the NGO documented 3,090 fatalities, including women and children, reflecting a sharp reduction alongside a notable drop in overall migrant arrivals.
Spanish interior ministry figures show that fewer than 36,000 irregular migrants reached Spain by sea or land during the period, down from more than 60,000 in 2024.
Observers attribute much of this decrease to stricter border controls and increased cooperation between European authorities and key departure countries, particularly Mauritania. These measures have reduced departures on some routes but have also shifted migration patterns.
Activists caution that the improvement in headline numbers masks continuing dangers. Shipwrecks have increased, and migrants are increasingly taking longer and riskier journeys, such as crossings from Algeria to the Balearic Islands and from Guinea to the Canary Islands.
The Atlantic route to the Canaries remains the deadliest, accounting for the majority of deaths this year.
Human rights groups are urging European governments to pair border management with stronger rescue capacity and safer, legal migration pathways, warning that without these measures, lives will continue to be put at risk despite the overall decline in fatalities.
