Migrants remain in the port of Arguineguin after their rescue off the southwest coast of Gran Canaria Island, Spain, on Tuesday, December 1, 2020.

According to the Interior Ministry's report, as of December 15, irregular migrant arrivals in Spain had decreased by 40.4% compared to 2024.

A total of 3,090 people died in 2025 trying to reach the Spanish coast, according to figures released Monday by the NGO Caminando Fronteras.

Caminando Fronteras recorded a record of more than 10,000 deaths at sea on the way to Spain in 2024, the figures for the year that has just ended reflect the decrease in arrivals on the Canary Islands route, the deadliest.

According to the Interior Ministry's report, as of December 15, irregular migrant arrivals in Spain had decreased by 40.4% compared to 2024, with an even greater decrease in the case of the Canary Islands (59.9%).

The "Right to Life Monitoring 2025" report published on Monday was closed on the same date, December 15, and indicates that, of the 3,090 deaths, 192 were women and 437 were minors.

In total, 303 tragedies were recorded, including 121 between Algeria and the Balearic Islands, particularly towards Ibiza and Formentera, the route which saw the most boat traffic this year, surpassing the Atlantic route.

The number of deaths at sea remains high despite the decrease in irregular migration to the EU.

The Canary Islands route, the deadliest

However, the large volume of boats transiting to the Canary Islands makes this route the most important in terms of the number of people and, consequently, the deadliest, with 1,906 victims compared to 1,037 on the Mediterranean route.

Despite the notable decrease in the number of arrivals and deaths, Caminando Fronteras warns against the opening of a new route from Guinea, even further away and more dangerous.

In the Strait of Gibraltar, the number of attempted swimming crossings also increased, with 139 victims, 24% of whom were children and teenagers.

According to the coordinator of this research, Helena Maleno, the decrease in the number of deaths is not the result of greater protection of the right to life, but a statistical decrease because the boats that sink on the Algerian route are smaller than the cayucos that go to the Canary Islands.

Caminando Fronteras insists that part of these tragedies is due to "the insufficient activation of rescue mechanisms and the outsourcing of border control and management to third countries, dynamics which increase the vulnerability and lack of protection of people during migratory journeys".