At least 4,414 children died during migration journeys worldwide between 2014 and 2025, but the actual toll is "likely much higher," the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Wednesday.
The UN agency said in a new report that its Missing Migrants Project recorded nearly 81,000 migrant deaths and disappearances during the period, with 44,862 cases, or 55.5%, lacking information on age.
That suggests an unknown number of child deaths remain unidentified in official statistics.
On the Central Mediterranean route, the agency said children represented 19% of arrivals in Italy and Malta in 2024 but only 2% of recorded deaths, highlighting significant data gaps.
"Every child who dies on a migration journey deserves to be counted, yet too many are missing from the data," said Stuart Campo, IOM's chief strategy officer for data, insight and policy. "We cannot protect children from dangers we cannot see."
The report found that records from medical examiners and law enforcement accounted for just 18% of documented migrant deaths.
IOM urged governments to improve documentation of migrant deaths, systematically record victims' ages and strengthen information sharing among authorities and humanitarian organizations while protecting personal data.
