Irregular migrant arrivals to the Canary Islands drop 59% in 2025

Policies in the European Union, the Spanish state and the Canary Islands have curbed the departure of small boats and rafts from the continent.

Irregular migrant arrivals in the Canary Islands fell by 59 % in 2025, while those in the Balearic Islands rose by 75 %, according to the irregular immigration report released Thursday by the Ministry of the Interior and reported by Europa Press.

Overall figures for Spain

• 28,922 migrants arrived irregularly by sea or land in 2025 so far, a 35.9 % decrease compared with the same period in 2024 (45,122).
• In the last 15 days since the previous report, 1,446 migrants have been recorded.
• By sea, 25,772 migrants have arrived this year, 39.9 % fewer than in the same period last year (42,889).
• These sea arrivals were made in 1,008 vessels, 281 fewer than the previous year.

Canary Islands

• Up to 15 October, 13,491 migrants entered the archipelago, 59 % less than in the same period of 2024 (32,878).
• They arrived on 218 vessels, a 55.8 % drop from 2024’s 493 boats.

Mainland Spain and Balearic Islands

• By sea, 12,252 migrants reached the Spanish Peninsula (6,148) and the Balearic Islands (6,104), representing a 22.9 % increase over the same period in 2024 (9,967).
• These arrivals were made in 780 vessels, just two fewer than last year.

Ceuta and Melilla

• A total of 3,150 people entered the autonomous cities irregularly by land, 41.1 % more than the same period in 2023.
  • Ceuta: 2,890 arrivals, 728 more than last year.
  • Melilla: 260 arrivals, 189 more than in 2024.
• By sea, four migrants landed in Ceuta (versus 23 last year) and 25 in Melilla (versus 21 in the same period of 2024), a 19 % rise for Melilla.