Migrant crossings to Europe by sea drop sharply amid heightened risks: IOM

By Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters. Published On 17 Sep 202617 Sep 2026.

Key points

• Arrivals via the Central Mediterranean, the main crossing from North Africa to Italy, fell by more than half, yet deaths there still climbed from 844 to 996.
• When more than 70, 000 individuals crossed from Morocco over two days, the report follows a migration crisis that gripped Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta in July.
• Greece recorded a smaller drop in arrivals alongside a sharp rise in deaths, from 284 to 417.
• "These figures tell two stories at once, " remarked IOM Director General Amy Pope stated Thursday.
• The European Union agreed in June to new rules allowing migrant deportations to countries outside the bloc.

As the journey is becoming more dangerous, according to a new report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the number of migrants crossing to Europe via sea routes has dropped sharply since January this year.

Notably, the agency remarked concerning 60, 000 migrants and refugees reached Europe by boat so far in 2026, down 39 percent from roughly 98, 000 over the same period last year.

For context, the new report demonstrates that, despite the decline, at least 2, 292 residents have died or gone missing attempting the crossing, up from 1, 999 over the same period last year, plenty of on overcrowded, ill-suited boats departing Libya's coast.

"Fewer people are arriving by sea in Europe than at this point last year, " Pope remarked, noting that "people are still dying and going missing in alarming numbers trying to reach safety".

"Behind every number is a human being, a family, a community, " she continued, calling for "sustained international cooperation that saves lives, protects people on the move, combats trafficking and exploitation, and expands safe, regular pathways". "Nearly every death and disappearance at sea is preventable, " she remarked.

In practice, the toll varies by route, but the Mediterranean and Atlantic routes are "the deadliest maritime routes in the world", according to the IOM.

Greece recorded a smaller drop in arrivals alongside a sharp rise in deaths, from 284 to 417. Though 879 individuals died or went missing on routes leading there, spain saw both arrivals and its overall numbers fall.

Meanwhile, the migration agency notes most of residents attempting to migrate are fleeing war and persecution. IOM surveys of migrants on the Central Mediterranean route discovered most cited economic hardship as their main reason for leaving, followed by conflict and targeted violence.

Notably, the agency has documented that more than 104, 000 individuals have lately fled the war in Yemen, alongside large-scale displacement out of Lebanon and Syria against the backdrop of the region's ongoing conflicts.

Since numerous boats vanish without ever being recorded, the true death toll is almost certainly higher, IOM observed.

In practice, a number of European governments have pushed lately towards tougher border policies, driven in part by growing pressure from right-wing parties throughout the continent.

Meanwhile, the European Union agreed in June to new rules allowing migrant deportations to countries outside the bloc. IOM is calling instead for more legal migration routes into Europe and stronger measures to reduce the risks along existing crossings.

At least 90 individuals died en route, triggering weeks of nationwide protests over the government's handling of the influx.

In short, migrant crossings to Europe by sea drop sharply amid heightened risks: IOM is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.