The number of migrants arriving irregularly by boat in the Canary Islands has fallen by 34.4% so far in 2025, compared to the same period last year, according to the latest data from Spain’s Ministry of the Interior.
From 1st January to 15th May, 10,882 people reached the archipelago via maritime routes, down from 16,586 in 2024.
Nationwide, irregular arrivals by sea totalled 14,263 people, marking a 28.3% decrease from the same period in 2024, when 19,890 migrants arrived by boat.
While arrivals in the Canaries have dropped significantly, the number of migrants reaching mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands by sea has seen a slight increase. A total of 3,377 people arrived via this route — a 2.2% rise compared to 3,303 during the same period last year.
Land arrivals into Spain have also declined. A total of 654 migrants entered the country by land, a 35.1% reduction from 1,008 during the first five months of 2024. Most land arrivals occurred in Ceuta, with 598 entries (down 40% from 997 in 2024), while Melilla saw a notable increase, with 56 people arriving by land — a 409.1% surge from just 11 the previous year.
In total, 14,917 migrants have arrived in Spain by land or sea so far in 2025, representing a 28.6% decrease from 20,898 during the same timeframe in 2024.
This decline comes amid ongoing discussions around EU migration funding and the distribution of resources among Spanish regions, with the Canary Islands recently requesting priority access to the €3 billion in additional EU migration funds.
