More than 3,000 migrants died trying to reach Spain, but the figure is sharply down

"More than 3,000 people died trying to reach Spain by sea over the past year, a sharp fall from the previous 12 months. However, activists cautioned that the drop reflected tighter border controls that have forced migrants to take increasingly dangerous routes. According to a new report by the NGO Caminando Fronteras, 3,090 people drowned between January and 15 December 2025, including 192 women and 437 children."

"Helena Maleno, the NGO's research coordinator, said that while the number of fatalities has fallen, there had been an increase in the number of shipwrecks to 303, with as many as 70 boats having disappeared without trace. She said: This is because we've seen an increase in the number of embarkations on the dangerous route from Algeria to the Balearic Islands."

3,090 people drowned between January and 15 December 2025 while trying to reach Spain by sea, including 192 women and 437 children. The total is a sharp fall from 10,457 deaths the previous year. Shipwrecks rose to 303 and about 70 boats disappeared without trace. The Algeria–Balearic route has become more used and dangerous; boats there usually carry around 30 people, versus up to 300 on Atlantic crossings to the Canary Islands. Official arrivals through 15 December fell to 35,935 amid tighter border policing and migration cooperation with Mauritania, which received substantial EU funding. Human Rights Watch accused Mauritanian authorities of systematic abuses; the Mauritanian government rejects those allegations.

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