UN says 2025 deadliest year on Red Sea migrant route

The United Nations has said 2025 was the deadliest year on record for migrants travelling along the “Eastern Route” from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, as reported by Africa News and agencies on March 25th.

According to the UN’s migration agency, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), 922 people died or went missing while attempting to cross the Red Sea, almost double the 558 recorded the previous year.

IOM said these figures made 2025 the deadliest year on record for the route since tracking began in 2014; the route is one of the busiest migration corridors linking the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula.

It is estimated that thousands of migrants make the journey each year, mainly from Ethiopia, Somalia and neighbouring countries.

Migrants typically depart from Djibouti, cross the Red Sea to Yemen, and then attempt to continue on to the Gulf states in search of work as labourers or domestic workers.

More than 500,000 people made the journey along the route in 2025, marking an increase in migration from the Horn of Africa.

Many become stranded in Yemen, which has been affected by conflict for nearly a decade and is the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula.

Migrants face risks including violence, detention and hazardous travel conditions during the crossing and after arrival, with some migrants choosing to return home after becoming stranded.

According to the IOM report, more than 130,000 migrants were believed to be stranded in Yemen at the end of 2025.

The IOM said most of those who died or went missing were from Ethiopia, with the country accounting for the majority of migrants on the route and facing poverty and ongoing internal conflicts.

The agency said it is working with the government of Djibouti to promote safer, more structured migration routes to reduce deaths.

It said nearly 8,000 people died or went missing globally on migration routes in 2025, an average of around 21 people per day. The figure represented a minimum estimate and is likely higher due to reduced humanitarian access and limits on tracking deaths.

Africa News and agencies, International Organisation for Migration, Maghrebi.org