According to new data released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Wednesday, severe weather conditions, war, economic pressure, and changing policies reshaped migration journeys in many regions during the first four months of 2026, leading to an increase in fatalities.
Sea-news.az reports that the latest route-based data from the IOM shows an increase in deaths among people seeking a better life, stretching from the Bay of Bengal to the Atlantic Ocean. Many of these individuals fall victim to human traffickers or fraudsters.
Commenting on the Global Overview of Migration Routes report, IOM Deputy Director General Ugochi Daniels stated: “Attention is focused on a few routes, but approximately half of the world’s 304 million international migrants migrate from their regions for work, family, education, and security.” She added that saving lives is a shared responsibility that no country can handle alone: “It is possible to reduce the number of migrant deaths by joining efforts.”
The IOM noted that while migrant deaths sharply decreased on some routes, they increased on others. During the reporting period, 821 people died or went missing along the Central Mediterranean route, representing a 111 percent increase, while the flow of migrants decreased by 46 percent to 8,577 people. More than half of these deaths occurred in January alone, when Cyclone “Harry” struck the region.
Meanwhile, deaths on the Eastern Mediterranean route tripled to 244, with many of these linked to disasters near the island of Crete.
The number of arrivals to Spain via the Western Mediterranean route increased by 66 percent to 5,647 people, which is connected to a threefold increase in land crossings into Ceuta and Melilla.
The West Africa-Atlantic route showed the sharpest decline towards Europe, dropping by 78 percent in Spain to 2,276 people, as departure points moved further south, lengthening crossings and endangering migrants’ lives. In Yemen, arrivals along the Eastern Horn of Africa route saw a 9 percent increase.
The conflict in the Middle East has caused large-scale displacement in Lebanon and an increase in cross-border returns to Syria.
