86% of children who arrived in Spain in 2025 by sea or land did so without their parents or a responsible adult, one of the highest percentages in Europe, according to a report published this Wednesday by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The organization estimates that 31,100 minors arrived by sea or land in Europe, mainly through six countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Spain, Greece, Italy, and Malta), and indicated that 67% of them traveled unaccompanied.
Spain and Italy registered the highest proportions of unaccompanied minors, who represented 86% of the children who arrived in both countries, according to the report "Migrant and Refugee Children on Mixed Migration Routes in Europe," which the IOM produced in collaboration with UNICEF and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
On the other hand, the number of migrant children arriving by sea and land in European territory decreased by 25% last year compared to 2024, but the proportion of those who traveled alone increased from 51% to the aforementioned 67%, and of the total of these, 78% were boys and 22% girls.
Reduction of safe routes for boys and girls
The IOM maintained that the reduction of safe routes that take into account the protection of minors may be pushing children and young people towards more dangerous journeys, with greater dependence on traffickers and increased exposure to violence, exploitation, and abuse.
“Children are undertaking difficult and dangerous journeys without a parent or guardian by their side,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope, cited this Wednesday in a statement.
The official called for greater cooperation between European countries and states located along the migration routes to protect minors and combat trafficking and criminal networks that exploit them.
Italy receives 12% more children
According to the IOM, Italy was the exception to the general decrease in child arrivals, as while the total number of arrivals remained stable, the number of children increased by 12%, to almost 14,100, with the majority coming from Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia.
The IOM interviewed more than 4,600 adolescents and young people between 15 and 24 years old along the Mediterranean, West African Atlantic, and Western Balkan routes for this report, and almost half of those who responded about their experiences said they had suffered physical violence.
On the central Mediterranean route, 28% stated they had been detained against their will and 17% had been forced to work, with Libya being the country most frequently mentioned as the place where the abuses occurred.
In total, 214,600 children applied for asylum in Europe in 2025, and 79% were doing so for the first time.
Germany, France, Spain, and Greece concentrated around 71% of the first applications, with 30%, 19%, 15%, and 7%, respectively.
Of the 210,900 first-instance decisions made on applications for child protection, 56% were positive.
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