Canary Islands received 2,708 immigrants in November arriving by rafts or canoes, the highest figure of the year for a single month since January, when 4,752 arrived, but the accumulated balance for the year shows a decrease of 59.4%
Specifically, arrivals to the islands up to November 30th total 16,807 people, 24,618 fewer than a year agoA total of 34,251 irregular migrants have arrived in Spain so far in 2025, after an increase was recorded in November compared to previous months, but the cumulative numbers remain 29.9% below those registered in 2024
This is data from the bi-weekly report on irregular immigration published by the Ministry of the Interior, which reflects an increase in arrivals in the Canary Islands in November—although for the entirety of 2025, figures are 59.4% lower than in 2024—and a decrease in entries to the Balearic Islands last month, a route that had gained traction this year.
In total, 34,251 people have entered the country irregularly, **22,725 fewer than in 2024**, a year that ended with a record number of arrivals via the Canary Islands route and in which, until November, 56,976 such entries had already been recorded.
The vast majority of these 34,251 migrants have arrived by sea (30,692), aboard a makeshift boat or a pirogue: as of November 30, 1,154 of these precarious vessels have reached Spain, 29.2% fewer than in 2024.
28.3% More Arrivals in the Balearic Islands
In the Balearic Islands, the opposite has happened compared to the Canary Islands: monthly arrivals have decreased from 453 in October to 408 in November, but the year-to-date total is 6,688, 28.3% above those registered in 2024 after an increase throughout 2025, which saw 975 entries in September alone.
Maritime arrivals to the peninsula have decreased in November from 740 to 574 and also in the year-to-date total, a -8.7% from 7,855 in 2024 to 7,167 this year.
Regarding the autonomous cities, arrivals by sea are few: 5 in the case of Ceuta (last year 28 had been registered) and 25 in Melilla (4 more than in 2024).Regarding arrivals by land (which include swimming access) to these cities, this past November, entries to Ceuta increased from 246 to 274, totaling 3,268 so far this year, 39.4% more than in 2024, and Melilla registered 291 in 2025, 219.8% more than last year
94% of migrants enter Spain legally
Irregular entries are a minority compared to the total immigration Spain receives: in the last ten years, 94% of foreign nationals who have arrived in the country have done so through regular channels.
The latest report from the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR) indicates that between 70 and 80% of the people who arrived in the country by canoe or dinghy in 2024 applied for asylum in Spain because they were fleeing conflicts, persecution, violence, or serious human rights violations in their countries.
Many of these journeys, which are carried out in very precarious conditions, end in death. According to UNHCR data, as of October 31, 400 people have lost their lives so far this year on the Canary Islands route and 216 have died trying to reach the mainland or the Balearic Islands.
