Around 7,900 people died or went missing along migration routes in 2025, pushing the total number of deaths and disappearances since 2014 to more than 80,000, according to the United Nations’ migration agency.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration said that a lack of safe pathways is forcing people into dangerous and irregular journeys, and called on governments to show the political determination needed to save lives, reports RTE.
“The deaths or disappearance of nearly 7,900 people were documented on global migration routes worldwide in 2025,” the IOM said, reports RTE.
The agency added that its Missing Migrants Project has recorded over 80,000 deaths and disappearances linked to migration since 2014.
“While these figures represent only the lowest boundary of the true number of affected people, they nonetheless underscore the need for urgent action to end migrant deaths and address the complex needs of families left behind,” said the IOM, reports RTE.
The organisation said the 7,904 recorded deaths and disappearances in 2025 reflect an ongoing and worsening global failure to prevent such tragedies.
“2025 was marked by an unprecedented level of aid cuts and restriction of information on dangerous irregular routes, rendering more and more missing migrants invisible,” it said, reports RTE.
At the same time, the agency highlighted a largely unseen group of at least 340,000 family members directly impacted by the crisis of missing migrants.
They face psychological, social, legal, and financial challenges as they cope with the unresolved disappearance of relatives, the IOM noted, reports RTE.
The organisation said the International Migration Review Forum scheduled for May 2026 presents an opportunity to shift current trends.
“Sustained political will is needed to save lives on migration routes worldwide and make visible the families most impacted by these preventable losses,” the agency said, reports RTE.
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