The Number of Illegal Migrants Arriving in Spain Decreased by 42%

SadaNews - The number of illegal migrants arriving in Spain decreased by 42.6% in 2025, with the decline especially noted in the Canary Islands, while the number of arrivals to the Balearic Islands increased.

In 2025, 36,775 migrants arrived in Spain, the vast majority by sea, compared to 64,019 migrants in 2024, according to figures published by the Ministry of the Interior on Friday.

The decrease was particularly recorded in the Canary Islands archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, where the number of migrants dropped by 62% (17,800 compared to 46,850 arrivals).

Conversely, the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean witnessed an increase in arrivals, most of them from Algeria, with an increase of 24.5% (from 5,900 to 7,300), according to the French Press Agency.

The NGO "Caminando Fronteras" recently estimated that over 3,000 people died while attempting to reach Spain by sea in 2025.

The number of arrivals to the Canary Islands has declined amid improving bilateral relations between Spain and Morocco, whose coasts are the departure point for many boats to the archipelago.

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) also attributes the sharp decline in the number of arrivals to the Canary Islands to "stricter prevention measures in the countries of departure, in cooperation with the European Union," particularly in Mauritania.

Mauritania signed an agreement with the EU in 2024 aimed at reducing dangerous maritime crossings from its shores, in exchange for funding of 210 million euros.