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West African migrants reaching Europe fall 59%, but routes are deadlier, IOM says

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West African migrants reaching Europe by sea fell sharply this year, but the journey has not become safer, the UN migration agency IOM said on 13 October. Arrivals from Mali, Senegal, Guinea and The Gambia dropped 59 per cent in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, to 4,566 people.

West African migrants: A child prays alone at a migrant reception centre in Lampedusa, Italy
A child prays alone at a migrant reception centre in Lampedusa, Italy Photo: © UNICEF/Niccolò Corti via UN News (editorial use with credit).

West African migrants on the Canary Islands route

On the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands, arrivals fell 62 per cent between 2024 and 2025, yet recorded deaths and disappearances barely changed: 1,172 against 1,215, IOM said. The Atlantic route still accounted for about 83 per cent of West African arrivals in the first half of 2026, according to IOM’s own release. ReliefWeb also published the data.

Key Facts

  • Arrivals (H1 2026): 4,566, down 59%
  • Canary route arrivals: down 62% (2024 to 2025)
  • Deaths and disappearances: 1,172 vs 1,215
  • Extra distance: up to 750 km on ~2,200 km trips

“No single country can solve this alone. We need to protect migrants wherever they are.”

— Amy Pope, IOM Director General

Atlantic route pushed further south

Tighter controls in Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal are pushing departures further south, IOM said, adding up to 750 km to crossings that are already about 2,200 km long. Longer trips in overloaded boats mean more days at sea with little food or water. The drivers of migration, including conflict, poverty and climate stress, persist, the agency added. The agency said the routes remain among the deadliest migration journeys in the world.

A shifting map on the Mediterranean

West Africans now make up a growing share of arrivals on the Mediterranean routes. On the Western Mediterranean route their share rose to 21.9 per cent, up from 15.6 per cent, pointing to a shifting landscape. IOM chief Amy Pope said no single country can solve the problem alone and called for migrants to be protected wherever they are, including search and rescue and safe, regular pathways. IOM has urged governments along the routes to work together on saving lives at sea and on legal options for migration.

Why It Matters: Falling arrival numbers can hide rising danger, and longer routes mean each crossing is more likely to end in death.

Also on TrendDesh: Djibouti shipwreck: death toll rises to 139 with 84 still missing, says IOM · UNHCR funding cuts: Barham Salih warns refugee protection is buckling

Source: UN News · IOM · ReliefWeb

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