The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Nearly 8,000 migrants were reported dead or missing worldwide in 2025 while attempting to reach safety or better opportunities, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday, warning that migration routes are becoming increasingly dangerous.
Maria Moita, director of the agency’s humanitarian response
and recovery department, told reporters in Geneva that the figures reflect a
worsening global situation.
“More deaths than ever were recorded in Asia, with hundreds
of Rohingya people and Afghans among those affected,” she said.
Moita said migration pressures remain high, but routes have
shifted due to conflict, climate shocks, labor demands and policy changes,
making journeys longer and more hazardous.
“What we are seeing instead is that routes are changing,”
she said. “Some established routes have seen fewer arrivals, but journeys have
often become longer, more fragmented, and increasingly dangerous.”
Andrea Garcia, another IOM official, said the 2025 figure is
lower than in 2024, when 9,197 migrant deaths were recorded, but cautioned that
the apparent decline may be due to limited data and verification challenges.
She added that around 1,500 additional deaths or
disappearances are believed to have occurred but could not be confirmed.
According to the IOM, the Central Mediterranean Sea remains
the deadliest migration route, while fatalities in the Bay of Bengal have risen
for a third consecutive year. Land routes used by Afghans fleeing Afghanistan
were also among the most dangerous, the agency said.
