Migrants paid between $388 million and $509 million to smugglers on sea routes to Europe in 2025, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the UN migration agency, IOM. Smugglers arrange illegal entry into countries for money. An estimated 190,000 to 209,000 people used their services on the four main routes.
The Central Mediterranean was the busiest, with between 84,000 and 100,400 people attempting a crossing. In an IOM survey, almost half of those trying to reach Italy or Malta from North Africa or Turkey reported paying more than $7,500 each. Prices were lower on some other routes. Smugglers charged as little as $170 per person on the Atlantic route from Northwest Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands, a dangerous journey made in open boats.
However, payment did not guarantee arrival. Among everyone departing on the sea routes in 2025, 3,404 people died or were reported missing. Another 104,200 were stopped at sea and returned. These figures cover all departures, rather than only people travelling with smugglers. The UN stressed that smugglers act for profit, but not everyone attempting to enter Europe by sea without permission uses their services.
