In terms of migration, 2025 has been marked by a decline in irregular migrant arrivals, with a total of 35,935 entries into Spain (pending the latest data published by the Ministry of Inclusion every 15 days), compared to the upturns in 2023 and 2024. This trend contrasts with the situation in the Balearics, where the arrival of 7,295 migrants by boat has broken historical records.
As of 15 December, Spain has recorded a total of 35,935 arrivals of irregular migrants by sea and land in 2025, representing a decrease of 40.4% compared to the entries recorded in the same period in 2024, when the figure reached 60,311. The figures confirm a change in trend after the upturns observed in 2023 and 2024, years in which irregular arrivals exceeded 56,800 and 63,900 people, respectively, reaching among the highest levels of the last decade. The historical maximum remains 2018, with 64,298 arrivals.
Compared to other years, the 2025 data places this year below five of the last eight years, only above 2017 (28,349), 2019 (32,513) and 2022 (30,048). During the interim period, Spain recorded higher figures in 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024. In order of number of irregular arrivals in Spain in recent years, 2018 ranks first with 64,298, followed by 2024 with 63,970, 2023 with 56,852, 2021 with 41,945, 2020, with 41,861; 2025, with 35,935; 2019, with 32,513; 2022, with 30,048; and 2017, with 28,349.
From 1 January to 15 December, 32,212 migrants arrived in Spain by sea this year, 44.3% less than in the same period last year, when there were 57,833 arrivals. This year, they arrived in 1,209 boats, 518 fewer than last year. A further 14,627 migrants have arrived by sea on the mainland (7,332) and the Balearics (7,295), which is 4.1% more than in the same period in 2024, when 14,047 arrived. In this case, they arrived in 939 boats, 130 fewer than last year.
As for migrants who arrived on the mainland by sea, there were 983 fewer than those who entered irregularly up to 15 December last year, representing a decrease of 11.8%. They arrived on 539 boats, 188 fewer than in 2024. Meanwhile, 1,563 more migrants have arrived in the Balearics than in the same period in 2024, which is equivalent to 27.3% more. They arrived on board 400 boats, 58 more than in 2024.
As for the Canary Islands, 17,555 migrants have entered the archipelago this year, 59.9% fewer than those who arrived in the same period in 2024 (43,737). This year, they have arrived on board 259 boats, 59.7% fewer than in 2024, with 643.