Unaccompanied Children Reach 67% of Europe Arrivals

More than 20,000 of the 31,100 migrant and refugee children who reached Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta and Spain in 2025 were unaccompanied or separated, 67% up from 51% in 2024, according to a joint IOM, UNHCR and UNICEF report released Wednesday. Overall child arrivals fell 25% from 2024. In Italy and Spain, 86% of child arrivals were unaccompanied. Italy recorded more than 12,000 unaccompanied children and a 12% rise in child arrivals. Spain received more than 4,700 unaccompanied minors. Of arrivals, 78% were boys and 22% girls. IOM Director General Amy Pope said children are making difficult and dangerous journeys without a father, a mother, or a guardian by their side. The report shows how exposed they are to violence and exploitation when safe pathways are limited and they must rely on traffickers, she said. No minor should have to face these risks alone. Nearly half of more than 4,600 people aged 15-24 interviewed reported physical violence. On the central Mediterranean route, 28% reported being detained against their will and 17% reported forced labor, mostly in Libya. IOM urged EU member states to put the best interests of the child at the centre of every decision, guarantee timely access to services, and never detain children for immigration purposes. Contested: none found in the record.