A recent human rights report published Monday by the Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras reveals an ongoing humanitarian tragedy on Europe's southern borders, with more than 3,000 migrants losing their lives in 2025 while attempting to cross the sea to reach Spanish shores. While this figure represents a significant decrease compared to the previous year, it underscores the continued deadly risks faced by asylum seekers and migrants.
The association, which advocates for migrants' rights, explained that the vast majority of the 3,090 deaths recorded up to mid-December occurred on the Atlantic migration route between the west coast of Africa and the Spanish Canary Islands. This route is internationally recognized as one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world due to its distance, strong ocean currents, and the migrants' use of dilapidated boats unfit for sailing in the open ocean.
A decrease in numbers compared to 2024
The report's data is based on a wide network of sources, including testimonies from families of missing persons and official rescue statistics, thus enhancing the accuracy of the figures, which align with data from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior. Official statistics indicate a 40.4% decrease in the number of irregular migrants arriving in Spain between January 1 and December 15, 2025, with the number reaching 35,935 migrants compared to 60,311 during the same period in 2024.
This decrease comes after 2024, which human rights organizations described as a "black year," during which Caminando Fronteras recorded its highest death toll since it began documenting the situation in 2007, with 10,457 migrants killed or missing. The significant difference in figures between the two years reflects a shift in migration dynamics and policies.
The political context and tightened border controls
The human rights organization attributed this decline in the number of arrivals and deaths to a range of geopolitical and security factors, most notably increased European and Spanish funding for transit and origin countries in North and West Africa. This strategy, known as "border export," aims to contain migration flows before they depart from African coasts by strengthening the capabilities of coast guards in countries such as Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal.
Despite the decline in numbers, experts warn that increased security measures often push migrants and smuggling networks to seek longer and more dangerous alternative routes to avoid maritime patrols, thus maintaining the potential for disasters. Migration across the Mediterranean and the Atlantic remains a complex humanitarian and political challenge that requires fundamental solutions addressing the root causes of migration in countries of origin, rather than relying solely on security measures.
