Two-thirds of child migrants entering southern Europe arrived alone in 2025, UN report shows

Surge in unaccompanied child arrivals across southern routes

A joint assessment released on 7 October 2026 by the International Organization for Migration, UNHCR, and UNICEF reveals that two-thirds of refugee and migrant children arriving in southern Europe in 2025 travelled without a parent or legal guardian. Across sea and land routes into Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, and Spain, more than 20,000 of the 31,100 child arrivals were unaccompanied or separated minors. Total child arrivals decreased by 25% compared to the 41,700 arrivals recorded in 2024, yet the proportion of children travelling alone climbed from 51% to 67%. The recorded demographic profile shows that boys comprised 78% of all arriving minors and girls accounted for 22%.

Divergent arrival patterns across Mediterranean entry points

Disparities emerged between Mediterranean destination countries in the scale and origin of arriving youths. Unaccompanied minors represented 86% of all child arrivals in both Italy and Spain throughout 2025. Italy recorded more than 12,000 unaccompanied children, reflecting a 12% rise in total underage arrivals, with the majority coming from Egypt, Eritrea, Bangladesh, Somalia, and Sudan. Spain received more than 4,700 lone minors, primarily originating from Algeria, Morocco, Mali, and Senegal. In contrast, children arriving in Greece travelled predominantly within family units, with the largest shares arriving from Afghanistan and Syria.

Abuse and violence along migration corridors

Transit routes through the Mediterranean, the Western Balkans, and the West African Atlantic corridor subjected minors to pervasive safety threats. In interviews with more than 4,600 migrants aged 15 to 24, nearly half reported experiencing direct physical violence during their journeys. Just over half of the surveyed children were robbed, and many recounted instances of torture, kidnapping, sexual abuse, and forced labour. Interviewees cited Libya most frequently as the country where human rights violations and arbitrary detentions took place.

Amy Pope, the director general of the International Organization for Migration, addressed the conditions facing young travellers along these corridors.

This report shows how exposed they are to violence and exploitation when safe pathways are limited, and they have to rely on smugglers.

Drivers and the decline of legal pathways

The report cited ongoing warfare, economic destitution, ethnic persecution, and climate-induced shortages of water and food as key drivers compelling youths to leave their home nations. At the same time, safe legal avenues into Europe narrowed significantly across 2025. Formal child refugee resettlements dropped from 8,900 in 2024 to 3,400 in 2025. Relocations under the European Union Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism fell by 67% to 199 children, none of whom were unaccompanied minors. Following the implementation of the EU Migration Pact in June 2026, the UN agencies called on member states to ensure that children are never placed in administrative detention and that child protection remains central to migration procedures.