Tighter border controls caused arrivals to decline sharply but forced people on to more dangerous routes, activists say
More than 3,000 people died trying to reach Spain by sea over the past year, a sharp fall from the previous 12 months.
However, activists cautioned that the drop reflected tighter border controls that have forced migrants to take increasingly dangerous routes.
According to a new report by the NGO Caminando Fronteras, 3,090 people drowned between January and 15 December 2025, including 192 women and 437 children.
The figure is significantly lower than the 10,457 who died in the attempt last year.
