Irregular migration to Spain dropped sharply in 2025, with arrivals falling by more than 40%, according to official data, driven mainly by a steep decline in crossings along the dangerous Atlantic route to the Canary Islands.
Spain remains one of Europe’s primary gateways for migrants hoping to build better lives, and the country has come under sustained pressure from European Union partners to stem irregular arrivals.
Figures from the interior ministry show that 36,775 migrants entered Spain irregularly last year, most of them by sea — a fall of 42.6% compared with the 64,019 recorded in 2024.
The number of people reaching the Canary Islands fell by 62% to 17,788 in 2025. In contrast, arrivals in the Mediterranean rose, with the Balearic Islands — where most crossings originate from Algeria — seeing an increase of 24.5% to 7,321. ALSO READ: Authorities in Balearic Islands demand action amid surge in irregular migrant arrivals.
Despite the overall reduction, the death toll among migrants remained alarmingly high.
The Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) said on Monday that more than 3,000 people died attempting to reach Spain in 2025, including 437 children. ALSO READ: Over 3,000 migrants died trying to reach Spain in 2025.
The organisation bases its estimates on testimony from migrants’ families as well as official rescue data.
The fall in arrivals to the Canaries comes amid warmer ties between Spain and Morocco, from where many boats bound for the islands depart. Relations improved after Madrid endorsed Rabat’s autonomy proposal for the disputed Western Sahara in 2022. ALSO READ: Spain, Morocco sign 20 agreements on migration, investment, energy & education.
Spain and Morocco have since stepped up maritime patrols, intelligence cooperation and efforts to dismantle smuggling networks, with Morocco strengthening its coastal surveillance.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has repeatedly argued that reducing irregular migration requires tackling the issue before migrants set off.
He has attributed the decline in arrivals to the Canaries to closer cooperation with Mauritania and other African nations. ALSO READ: Mauritania and Spain pledge cooperation on migration and to combat people smuggling.
‘We can only reduce irregular migration by establishing comprehensive alliances based on trust and mutual benefit,’ he said during a meeting with EU interior and migration ministers in Malta back in November.
The EU’s border agency, Frontex, has also pointed to tougher preventive measures in countries of departure — particularly Mauritania — as a major reason for the fall in Canary Islands arrivals.
In 2024, Mauritania agreed a deal with the EU to curb perilous sea crossings in return for 210 million euros in financial support.
Human rights organisations, however, warn that such agreements risk serious abuses.
In an August report, Human Rights Watch accused Mauritanian authorities of widespread mistreatment of migrants, including rape, torture and extortion by border officials.
The group said these violations intensified following Mauritania’s migration agreement with the EU.
Mauritania has denied the allegations.
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