Marrakech – Morocco intercepted 73,640 irregular migration attempts in 2025, a 6.4% decline from the previous year, as tightened border controls pushed migrant flows toward alternative routes across West Africa and the southern Mediterranean.
Authorities dismantled more than 300 smuggling networks during the year, the Interior Ministry said, noting that these networks are constantly evolving their tactics and pooling criminal services across borders.
A senior official at the directorate overseeing migration and border control told Reuters that the decline in interceptions reflects “a gradual reduction in irregular flows, reflecting the steady drying up of the migration route transiting through Morocco.”
But the drop does not signal easing pressure. Migrants have simply shifted departure points. The ministry stressed that regional migration dynamics are reconfiguring, with flows redirecting toward West African coastlines and parts of the southern Mediterranean.
The impact of Morocco’s enforcement was most visible in Spain. Irregular arrivals there fell 42.6% in 2025 to 36,775 people, down from 64,019 the year before, according to the Spanish Interior Ministry. The Canary Islands saw the steepest drop – a 62% plunge from 46,850 to 17,800 arrivals.
The decline followed strengthened cooperation between Rabat and Madrid, accelerated after Spain backed Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara in 2022. Morocco expanded maritime surveillance and coastal patrols, a shift widely seen as decisive in curbing Atlantic route crossings.
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Yet the crackdown redirected some flows toward Algeria. Spain’s Balearic Islands recorded a 24.5% rise in arrivals, from roughly 5,900 to 7,300 people, mostly of Algerian origin. Ceuta saw a 42% increase in land entries, reaching 3,396.
The human cost remained severe. The NGO Caminando Fronteras documented 3,090 deaths among those attempting to reach Spain in 2025, including 192 women and 437 minors across 303 incidents. The Canary route alone claimed 1,906 lives. In Ceuta, at least 40 migrants died attempting to swim across using diving suits and flippers.
Armed conflict across the Sahel, high unemployment, and climate change continue to drive migration toward Europe. UNHCR data shows most migrants reaching Spain via the Canary route originated from Mali (36.8%), Senegal (25%), and Guinea (11.7%).
On the humanitarian side, Morocco rescued 13,595 migrants at sea in 2025. Another 4,372 took part in voluntary return programs to their home countries. The senior official described this as a “human-centred approach to migration management” that “strikes a balance between firmness and responsibility.”
Circular migration agreements signed in September 2024 between Spain and Mauritania, Senegal, and Gambia also contributed to the overall decline by offering legal pathways for temporary workers.
