UN finds increase in migrant deaths on 2 routes in early 2026 amid Vatican concerns

The U.N. found an increase in migrant deaths from drowning incidents in the Mediterranean Sea, an issue about which Pope Leo XIV has expressed serious concerns.

A United Nations report published Aug. 12 found an increase in migrant deaths and missing migrants along two European routes during the first four months of 2026, as the Vatican and bishops continue to voice concerns about safety.

The report, published by the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration (IOM), found that many migrants fall victim to human traffickers and scams along the journey. A majority of the increase in deaths, however, were caused by drownings in the Mediterranean Sea.

“Attention tends to settle on a handful of routes, but nearly half of the world’s 304 million international migrants live within their own region, moving for work, family, education and safety,” IOM Deputy Director General Ugochi Daniels said in a statement.

“Good data is not a substitute for solutions, but there are no solutions without it,” she said. “… When everyone is working from the same clear picture, better decisions follow.”

The two routes with a sharp increase in migrant deaths were the Central Mediterranean Route and the Eastern Mediterranean Route. The central route mostly reflects migrants arriving in Italy from northern Africa and the eastern route mostly reflects routes from western Asia into Greece, Cyprus, and Bulgaria.

According to the report, the number of migrants who died or went missing along the Central Mediterranean Route was at least 821, which is 111% higher than the same time last year. It found that the primary cause of death was drowning. About 430 migrants died or went missing in January, primarily due to Cyclone Harry.

The number went up by 259% on the Eastern Mediterranean Route, reaching at least 244. The report found the primary cause to be drowning. This was caused by “a series of fatal incidents” near Crete — a Greek island in the Mediterranean Sea.

“This data highlights the risks faced by migrants along these routes, even as the estimates presented in this report are likely much lower than the real number of casualties,” the report states.

In July, Pope Leo XIV visited the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, saying migrants who died in the sea are “victims both of decisions that were made and of decisions that were not made.”

“Indifference to the common good and corruption in their countries of origin; a global economic system that generates poverty and exclusion; fear that fuels prejudice and contempt; the belief that such problems do not concern us; the criminal calculations of those who profit from the suffering of others; the slow and difficult transition from mere emergency management to the development of comprehensive and shared policies — all are present-day echoes of the haste to ‘pass by’ in the Gospel narrative,” the Holy Father said.