The Balearic Islands began 2026 with a sharp increase in irregular sea arrivals of migrants, in a context of a general decline in the rest of Spain. Between January and March, the Islands registered a 32.7% increase compared to the same period last year, while Spain as a whole experienced a 63.8% decrease and the Canary Islands an even more pronounced drop of 85.3%. The data point to a displacement of migratory flows towards the Algerian route, which in recent years has been gaining importance, positioning the Balearic Islands in a central role.

The Balearic Islands have started 2026 with a sharp increase in irregular maritime arrivals of migrants, in a context of a generalized decrease in the rest of the State. Between January and March, the Islands registered a 32.7% increase compared to the same period last year, while Spain as a whole experienced a 63.8% drop and the Canary Islands, an even more pronounced fall of 85.3%. The data points to a displacement of migratory flows towards the Algerian route, which in recent years has been gaining importance to place the Balearic Islands in a central position.

The migratory route between the Algerian coast and the Balearic Islands is constantly changing. Beyond the increase in arrivals over the last five years, the danger of the journey has also increased; the profile of those arriving, their motivations, and the authorities' response have all changed. What began in 2018 as a sporadic trickle of people crossing from one neighboring country to another has now become an established route, one of the most important in the Mediterranean, through which people depart whose journey begins thousands of kilometers from our shores.