The number of migrants who have died or gone missing while attempting to reach Europe has risen significantly in 2026, according to new figures from the United Nations. At least 2,676 people have lost their lives or disappeared on migration routes worldwide since the beginning of the year, with more than half of those cases linked to journeys toward Europe, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported.
The IOM said that 1,570 people seeking to reach Europe have been recorded as dead or missing so far this year. The figure represents an increase of more than a quarter compared with the same period last year, with documented deaths and disappearances on European migration routes rising by 27 percent.
Andrea García Borja, coordinator of the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, described Europe as being at the center of a continuing humanitarian crisis. She said that deaths had increased across all Mediterranean migration routes during the first half of 2026, even though the number of documented arrivals during the same period had declined.
The central Mediterranean route remains the world’s deadliest migration pathway, according to the IOM data. The route, which is frequently used by migrants attempting to reach Europe from North Africa, accounted for 32 percent of all recorded deaths linked to migration journeys this year.
The increase in fatalities has also been particularly significant along the eastern Mediterranean route, which runs from Libya toward the Greek island of Crete. According to IOM figures, recorded deaths on this route increased by 167 percent compared with the same period in the previous year. At least 165 people have been confirmed dead or missing there during the first half of 2026, although the organization warned that the actual number is likely higher because many incidents are never reported.
Borja said the rise in deaths along the eastern Mediterranean route was linked in part to the limited presence of maritime rescue operations. The approximately 300-kilometer sea route has seen few monitoring and search-and-rescue activities, leaving migrants traveling in unsafe conditions with limited emergency assistance available.
“Almost nobody monitors this route, nobody carries out search and rescue operations,” Borja said, highlighting concerns over the lack of oversight in one of the increasingly dangerous maritime corridors toward Europe.
The latest figures form part of the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, which has documented migrant deaths and disappearances since 2014. Since the project began, more than 83,900 deaths and missing-person cases have been recorded worldwide along migration routes. Around half of those cases occurred among people attempting to reach Europe.
Migration journeys across the Mediterranean have remained among the most dangerous forms of irregular migration, with overcrowded vessels, difficult weather conditions, and long distances contributing to the risks faced by those attempting the crossing. The IOM’s data shows that even when fewer people successfully complete these journeys, the number of deaths can continue to rise.
The Mediterranean remains a central focus of international migration concerns, as thousands of people continue to attempt dangerous crossings each year from regions affected by conflict, instability, and economic hardship. The increasing number of fatalities has placed renewed attention on the challenges of monitoring migration routes and responding to emergencies at sea.
The IOM, an organization affiliated with the United Nations, continues to collect data on migrant deaths and disappearances worldwide to provide a clearer picture of the risks faced by people traveling along these routes. However, the agency has repeatedly noted that recorded figures represent only confirmed cases, meaning the true scale of deaths and disappearances may be considerably higher.
The 2026 figures underscore the continuing dangers faced by migrants attempting to reach Europe, with the Mediterranean remaining the world’s most lethal migration corridor and thousands of lives lost or left unaccounted for on journeys that often begin far from European shores.
