The Canary route is the deadliest in Europe: out of every one hundred people who manage to arrive, 21 die

The migratory route to the Canary Islands continues to be the deadliest in Europe, even though lives lost at sea have decreased by 57.2% in one year. This is stated in the report Monitoreo Derecho a la Vida by Caminando Fronteras, which compiles figures from the first five months of 2026. 

Of every one hundred people who managed to reach the Canary Islands between January and May, 21 died in the Ocean, victims of a shipwreck. In contrast, in 2025, the figure was lower despite more arrivals being recorded, with fourteen people dying out of every hundred who managed to reach European land. 

The aforementioned monitoring indicates that despite arrivals decreasing by 72.1% in one year, deaths have decreased by 57.2%, demonstrating "that the route has become proportionally deadlier". 

Between January and May, 635 people perished in the Atlantic, on one of the three most common routes between the African continent and the Canary Islands. In total, on the different routes between the African continent and southern Europe, a total of 1,317 people died.

The collective states that in the first months of the year, cayucos from Gambia increased, where "major shipwrecks" and "a high number of disappearances at sea" were recorded. Meanwhile, between March and May, inflatable boats departing between Agadir (Morocco) and Dajla (Western Sahara) have been reactivated, usually arriving in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. 

Caminando Fronteras points out that the departure points for precarious vessels are shifting "towards more distant areas," even departing from the Moroccan city of Essaouira, 175 kilometers north of Agadir, increasing the risk of shipwreck.

The report highlights that the dispute between Spain and Morocco over the delimitation of search and rescue (SAR) zones is one of the main reasons for delayed rescues, leading to "more documented lethal consequences." Therefore, it urges for "effective coordination" between countries to shorten response times in case of a shipwreck. 

Despite the decrease in deaths on the migratory route to the Canary Islands, the number of victims on the other analyzed routes has increased: Algerian route (507), Strait of Gibraltar route (99), Alboran Sea route (28), and land route to Ceuta (48). 

In total, people from 26 countries have lost their lives on the Western Border between Europe and Africa: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Comoros Islands, Mali, Malawi, Morocco, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Senegal, Sudan, South Sudan, and Tunisia.