Baku:The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that at least 4,414 children have died during migration journeys worldwide from 2014 to 2025. However, the actual number of child fatalities is believed to be significantly higher.

According to Anadolu Agency, the IOM's Missing Migrants Project recorded nearly 81,000 migrant deaths and disappearances in the same period. Of these, 44,862 cases, or 55.5%, lacked information on age, suggesting that many child deaths remain unidentified in official statistics.

On the Central Mediterranean route, children accounted for 19% of arrivals in Italy and Malta in 2024 but only 2% of recorded deaths, indicating considerable gaps in data. Stuart Campo, IOM's chief strategy officer for data, insight, and policy, emphasized the importance of counting every child who dies during migration journeys. "We cannot protect children from dangers we cannot see," he stated.

The report also highlighted that only 18% of documented migrant deaths were accounted for by records from medical examiners and law enforcement. The IOM has called on governments to improve the documentation of migrant deaths, ensure the systematic recording of victims' ages, and enhance information sharing among authorities and humanitarian organizations, while safeguarding personal data.