Migrant deaths climb sharply in 2026, new UN data shows

The agency’s newest route-based data shows a startling spike in fatalities among people seeking a better life, from the Bay of Bengal to the Atlantic Ocean, many of them falling prey to traffickers or scams along the way. 

“Attention tends to settle on a handful of routes, but nearly half of the world’s 304 million international migrants live within their own region, moving for work, family, education and safety,” IOM Deputy Director General Ugochi Daniels explained, pointing to the new Global Overview of Migration Routes report, which draws from its displacement tracking matrix, Missing Migrants project and regional partners.

“Good data is not a substitute for solutions, but there are no solutions without it,” Ms. Daniels said, stressing that saving lives remains a shared responsibility no single country can meet alone. “When everyone is working from the same clear picture, better decisions follow.”

While some routes saw steep declines in arrivals, deaths soared in others.

“Fewer arrivals do not mean safer journeys,” Ms. Daniels said.

Along the central Mediterranean route, 821 people died or went missing, marking a 111 per cent increase, while arrivals dropped 46 per cent to 8,577. Over half those deaths occurred in January alone, when Cyclone Harry struck the region.

Meanwhile, the eastern Mediterranean route saw deaths triple to 244, many linked to disasters near Crete.

More highlights from the report:

UN independent experts called for urgent action to support nearly 1.2 million Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh following reports that two boats carrying over 500 people capsized off Myanmar’s coast after departing Rakhine state in late June.

Often falling prey to human traffickers, more than 6,500 Rohingya embarked on dangerous sea journeys in 2025, with an estimated 900 deaths – about 66 per cent were women and children, according to UN agencies.

One in seven went missing or died in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, “the highest mortality rate worldwide of any route for refugee and migrant sea journeys”, said the experts, who are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council.

Recognising the shared responsibility of the international community, they called for effective measures to prevent human trafficking and ensure human rights-based responses, from protection services to providing access to employment, education and healthcare.