The decline in the number of migrants arriving in the Canary Islands this year was well below the figures of the previous two years, when historic highs were reached, according to official figures. The government media reported that as of December 15, 2025, 17,555 people entered the Canary Islands in an irregular situation, a decrease of 59.9% compared to the same period in 2024, when the number reached 43,737. With this decline, the Canary Islands are far from the 2023 data and from the so-called “Cayuco crisis” recorded in 2006, the year in which 31,678 migrants arrived in the region.
As government media report, 2025 shows a reversal of the trend compared to the increases in irregular entries in 2023 and 2024. So far, Spain has registered a total of 35,935 arrivals of migrants without authorization, both by sea and by land. This number represents a 40.4% decrease compared to the same period last year, when 60,311 entries were added. The year-on-year decline was consistent across both access routes, with the maritime route more affected.
The media detailed that the current figures compared to the 2025 data for the rest of the decade are below the values achieved in five of the last eight years. With 28,349, they only exceed the records from 2017; as of 2019 with 32,513; and in 2022 with 30,048. The historical high of irregular entries into Spain remains in 2018, when 64,298 entries were registered. The years 2024 and 2023 are also characterized by high numbers, namely 63,970 and 56,852 respectively, followed by the data for 2021 (41,945) and 2020 (41,861). According to the current balance, 2025 will be the sixth year with the most irregular entries in the last decade.
Regarding the breakdown by modalities, the Ministry of Integration has collected data showing that between January 1 and December 15, 32,212 migrants entered Spain illegally by sea, 44.3% less than the 57,833 registered in the same period last year. In total, 1,209 ships carried migrants this year, a decrease of 518 ships compared to 2024.
As for the geographical distribution, 14,627 migrants arrived by sea in the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, an increase of 4.1% compared to the 14,047 in the previous period. According to the official data cited, the difference is explained by the different development of the two regions: while 7,332 arrivals were counted on the peninsula – a decrease of 11.8% compared to the previous year – in the Balearic Islands there was an increase of 27.3% to 7,295 arrivals, 1,563 more than in 2024.
Regarding the number of boats deployed, the government media report stated that crossings to the peninsula totaled 539, 188 fewer than last year. In the Balearic Islands there were a total of 400, i.e. 58 more than in the previous comparable period.
For its part, the Canary Islands recorded a decrease in both the number of migrants arriving by sea (17,555 compared to almost 44,000) and the number of boats (259 compared to 643 the previous year). These figures contrast with the peaks observed in previous years and demonstrate the exceptional character of 2024, the year in which the arrival of people via this route reached levels not reached since modern statistical recording of migration to Spain began.
When it comes to land access, Ceuta and Melilla recorded an opposite scenario: 3,723 hard-line migrants entered the autonomous cities irregularly, representing a growth of 50.2% in 2024. According to government media, 3,396 migrants arrived in Ceuta, a thousand and ten more people than in the same period last year. 327 migrants arrived in Melilla, 235 more than in 2024.
The development of irregular arrivals by sea to Ceuta and Melilla was uneven. Five people entered Ceuta via this route in 2025, compared to 28 the previous year, a decrease of 82.1%. In Melilla, the number of arrivals by sea reached 25, exceeding the 2024 figure by four, an increase of 19%.
These figures from the Ministry of Integration, published every two weeks, show clear fluctuations in migration dynamics in Spain, with general declines and relevant fluctuations depending on the route and destination region. According to government media, authorities continue to monitor and assess these movements as part of state and local management of the migration phenomenon.
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