Nearly 8,000 people died or went missing along dangerous migration routes last year, including crossings in the Mediterranean and the Horn of Africa, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Thursday, warning the real toll is likely significantly higher.

The agency recorded 7,667 deaths in 2025, down from almost 9,200 in 2024. However, it cautioned that the decline may reflect reduced monitoring capacity and funding shortfalls rather than safer migration conditions. Cuts to humanitarian budgets have constrained data collection and access to remote routes.

Legal migration pathways are narrowing, pushing more people toward irregular journeys facilitated by smugglers and traffickers, the Geneva-based agency said. This comes as Europe, the United States and other regions intensify border enforcement and invest heavily in deterrence measures.

In a statement released Thursday, IOM Director General Amy Pope said the continued loss of life along migration routes represents "a global failure."

"These deaths are not inevitable. When safe pathways are out of reach, people are forced into dangerous journeys and into the hands of smugglers and traffickers. We must act now to expand safe and regular routes and ensure people in need can be protected, regardless of their status," she said.

Sea crossings remained among the deadliest routes. 

At least 2,108 people were reported dead or missing in the Mediterranean last year, while 1,047 died attempting the Atlantic crossing to Spain's Canary Islands.

Elsewhere, around 3,000 migrant deaths were recorded across Asia, more than half involving Afghan nationals.

In the Horn of Africa, 922 people died along the route from Yemen to Gulf states, most of them Ethiopians, with many perishing in three mass shipwrecks.

The trend has continued into 2026, with 606 migrant deaths recorded in the Mediterranean as of February 24, according to the IOM.