MADRID: Migrant arrivals to Spain fell by over 40 percent in 2025, mainly due to a sharp drop in arrivals along the perilous Atlantic route to the Canary Islands, official figures showed.
Spain is one of the main entry points for people seeking a better life in Europe, and the country has faced pressure from EU partners to curb irregular migration.
The Interior Ministry said 36,775 migrants entered Spain irregularly last year, the vast majority by sea, a 42.6 percent decline from 64,019 in 2024.
Arrivals to the Canary Islands dropped 62 percent to 17,788 in 2025, while arrivals in the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean — mainly from Algeria — rose 24.5 percent to 7,321.
HIGHLIGHT
Spain is one of the main entry points for people seeking a better life in Europe, and the country has faced pressure from EU partners to curb irregular migration.
Despite the overall decline, migrant deaths remained high.
Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras said on Monday that over 3,000 people died while trying to reach Spain in 2025, including 437 minors.
The group compiles its figures from migrant families and official statistics on those rescued.
The drop in arrivals to the Canaries follows improved relations between Spain and Morocco, from which many of the boats to the archipelago originate, after Madrid backed Rabat’s autonomy plan for the disputed Western Sahara in 2022.
Both countries have increased maritime surveillance, intelligence sharing, and crackdowns on smuggling networks, with Morocco intensifying coastal patrols.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has called for “prevention at the source” to reduce irregular migration.
He has credited Spain’s cooperation with Mauritania and other African countries for the decline in arrivals to the Canaries.
“We can only reduce irregular migration by establishing comprehensive alliances based on trust and mutual benefit,” he said at a November meeting in Malta with EU interior and migration officials.
EU border agency Frontex has also cited stricter preventive measures in departure countries as a key factor in the drop in migrant arrivals in the Canaries.
In 2024, Mauritania signed a pact with the EU to curb dangerous maritime crossings in exchange for €210 million ($246 million) in funding.
