- IOM said nearly 60,000 migrants and refugees reached Europe by sea by September fifteen, twenty twenty-six.
- Deaths and disappearances rose to 2,292 recorded cases, even as overall arrivals fell thirty-nine percent.
- The central Mediterranean route remained deadliest, with Italy deaths climbing from eight hundred forty-four to nine hundred ninety-six.
The IOM warned Thursday that about 60,000 migrants and refugees had reached Europe by sea by September 15, 2026, down 39% from the same period in 2025. The agency recorded 2,292 deaths or disappearances, up from 1,999 a year earlier.
The comparable arrival figure for 2025 was 98,040. Fewer people arrived, but fatalities rising along several routes pushed the toll higher.
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Amy Pope, the agency’s Director General, said the deaths were preventable and urged authorities to create safer alternatives. She also pointed to the human cost behind the statistics.
“Nearly every death and disappearance at sea is preventable,” Pope said. “Behind every number is a human being, a family, a community.”
Pope said the figures showed people were taking increasingly dangerous journeys. She called for expanded legal migration pathways and stronger cooperation among authorities to save lives.
The deadliest routes are moving in opposite directions
The central Mediterranean route to Italy remained the deadliest. Arrivals fell from 48,231 in the same period of 2025 to 21,393 in 2026, while deaths increased from 844 to 996.
The route to Spain across the Atlantic and western Mediterranean recorded 879 deaths. The figures show how a decline in crossings has not produced a matching decline in loss of life.
Greece also recorded fewer arrivals. Deaths there rose from 284 to 417.
The agency cautioned that the documented toll likely understates the number of people who died. Many shipwrecks and disappearances are never recorded, it said.
Smuggling networks continue to put people aboard overcrowded and unseaworthy boats, particularly on the route to Italy. Those conditions can make even a smaller number of crossings more dangerous.
The figures were published on September 17, 2026. They cover sea arrivals and deaths or disappearances recorded through September 15.
Border crossings are down, but the human cost remains high
Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, said the overall number of irregular arrivals into the European Union continued to fall. It also warned that “the human cost remains high.”
The agency’s figures add to pressure for governments to address both the boats used by smugglers and the limited legal alternatives available to people seeking entry. Pope framed the issue around prevention rather than the final count.
“The figures showed people were taking increasingly dangerous journeys,” Pope said.
The routes remain active despite the lower arrival numbers. The recorded death toll now stands at 2,292, with the agency warning that the final number could rise as additional disappearances are documented.
