109 illegal migrants from Pakistan died or went missing last year: International Organisation for Migration

E-Paper | May 21, 2026

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ISLAMABAD: A total of 109 Pakistanis were among at least 2,722 persons from the Asia-Pacific region who died or disappeared around the world last year in an attempt to cross illegally into other countries, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

This marked the second consecutive year with more than 2,700 deaths worldwide, highlighting the persistent risks faced by migrants and an urgent need to strengthen protection for people on the move, the IOM said in a statement on Tuesday.

The data was collected under the “IOM Missing Migrants Project 2026”.

IOM data shows Afghanistan, with 1,540 persons, accounted for the highest number of migrants who died or disappeared

According to statistics gathered by the IOM for Asia-Pacific, the highest number of nationals who died or disappeared during migration — 1,540 — were from Afghanistan, followed by 935 nationals from Myanmar. Pakistan, with 109 nationals was third, followed by Bangladesh with 80 individuals, and India with 15.

The nationalities of 43 other persons were not mentioned.

According to IOM, due to the clandestine nature of irregular movements and difficulties in tracing migration fatalities, the actual death toll along these routes is likely to be much higher.

Therefore, despite the large number of recorded deaths and disappearances, the Missing Migrants Project (MMP) data should be considered as the “minimum estimate of the true number of migrant deaths and disappearances” in the world.

In 2025, 91 per cent of these fatalities occurred within the region, with at least 2,471 people losing their lives or going missing within the Asia-Pacific region. A total of 1,547 persons hailed from South Asia, 920 from South-east Asia, and four from the Far East.

The highest number of recorded incidents occurred along land routes between Afghanistan and Iran, as well as on maritime routes across the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.

Beyond the Asia-Pacific region, at least 251 Asia-Pacific nationals died or disappeared along migration routes in other parts of the world, with the majority occurring on routes towards or within Europe. Gender and age disaggregation remains incomplete, with approximately 40 per cent of last year’s recorded fatalities lacking information on this count.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2026

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Amin Ahmed is an Islamabad-based correspondent for Dawn with nearly two decades of experience in the field. He reports on socio-economic development, agriculture, and privatisation, as well as parliamentary committees.