The number of migrants arriving in the Canary Islands via the Atlantic route fell by 65% between 2024 and 2025, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Deaths and disappearances declined only slightly, from 1,215 to 1,172, a fall of about 4%.
The organisation attributed part of the decline to a shift towards departure points farther south, including The Gambia, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, following tighter controls on the coasts of Mauritania, Morocco and Senegal.
According to the IOM, the shift has lengthened some sea journeys to the Canary Islands and made them more dangerous. Human losses have therefore remained high despite the sharp fall in arrivals in the Spanish archipelago.
