Archive · 7 Oct 2026
More Unaccompanied Children Take Dangerous Crossings to Europe
A report by United Nations agencies says many children who reached Europe in 2025 travelled without a parent or guardian.
The total number of children arriving was lower than in 2024.
But a bigger share of them were travelling alone.
The report says that when safe ways to travel are hard to find, children may turn to smugglers.
That can put them at risk of violence and exploitation.
Nearly half of more than 4,600 young people interviewed said they had experienced physical violence.
The report says Libya was most often named as a place where abuse happened.
The agencies called for countries to work together to protect children and tackle smuggling networks.
More than 20,000 of 31,100 children arriving in six European countries in 2025 were unaccompanied or separated from a parent or guardian.
Although child arrivals fell 25% from 2024, the share travelling alone rose from 51% to 67%.
In Italy and Spain, 86% of arriving children were unaccompanied; Italy recorded a 12% increase in child arrivals.
The agencies said limited safe migration routes may be pushing children toward smugglers and dangerous journeys.
Nearly half of more than 4,600 young people interviewed reported physical violence, including accounts of torture, kidnapping and forced labour.
- Who
- Children arriving in Europe, including unaccompanied or separated children; the report was produced by the International Organization for Migration, UNHCR and UNICEF.
- What
- A report found that the share of arriving children travelling unaccompanied or separated rose to 67%, despite fewer child arrivals overall.
- When
- The arrival figures are for 2025; the report was reported on Wednesday, October 7.
- Where
- Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta and Spain, with interviews also covering Mediterranean, West African Atlantic and Western Balkan routes.
- Why
- The report said poverty, conflict and environmental hazards contribute to dangerous journeys, and shrinking safe migration pathways may push children toward smugglers.
- Children arriving
- 31,100 in 2025 across Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta and Spain
- Unaccompanied or separated
- More than 20,000 children; 67% of arrivals, up from 51% in 2024
- Change in total arrivals
- Child arrivals by land and sea fell 25% from 2024
- Italy and Spain
- 86% of arriving children were unaccompanied; Italy's child arrivals rose 12%
- Resettlement procedures
- 3,400 children in 2025, compared with 8,900 a year earlier
- Inter-country relocation
- 199 children were relocated under the Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism; none were unaccompanied
- Interviews
- More than 4,600 people aged 15 to 24; nearly half reported physical violence
- Frequently cited abuse location
- Libya was the country most frequently identified