The Balearic Islands have passed the Canary Islands in irregular arrivals for the first time on record, with 5,627 migrants reaching the Spanish archipelago by mid-September 2026, against 5,592 arrivals to the Canary Islands between January 1 and September 15, 2026, Spanish Interior Ministry data show.

The shift rests on a sharp drop at the Atlantic entry point. Canary Islands arrivals fell 55 percent year-on-year, from 12,453 in January 1–September 15, 2025, to 5,592 in the same 2026 window.

Meanwhile, the Algerian sea route to the Balearics keeps climbing. The Spanish Civil Guard intercepted 161 migrants aboard more than 10 vessels between September 22 and 23. The week before, officers stopped another 180 migrants on the same Algerian crossing.

Most of those interceptions involved North and Sub-Saharan African migrants and took place at night, local government authorities said. Single days have produced bigger hauls: on September 16, the Civil Guard intercepted 168 migrants aboard 11 vessels across the archipelago.

What do the latest numbers show?

• Canary Islands, Jan 1–Sept 15: 5,592 (2026) vs. 12,453 (2025) — a 55% drop.
• Balearic Islands, by mid-September: 5,627 (2026) vs. 5,483 (2025) — a 2.6% rise.
• Sept 22–23 interceptions: 161 migrants on more than 10 boats.
• Sept 16 interception: 168 migrants on 11 boats.
• Deaths on the Balearic route, Jan–May 2026: at least 507, up 54.6% year-on-year.

Press agency EFE puts the gap wider. Citing Interior Ministry and Balearic Government Delegation figures, EFE counts more than 6,000 arrivals to the archipelago since January — roughly 500 above the Interior Ministry's total.

Why is Mallorca asking Madrid for help?

Llorenç Galmés, president of the Island Council of Mallorca, sent a letter this week to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez ahead of a high-level Spain–Algeria meeting scheduled for October 2026.

"The situation is unsustainable, and Mallorca cannot continue to deal alone with the consequences of being an external border of Spain and the European Union," Galmés wrote.

He also flagged the housing system for unaccompanied minors. Local centres run at 1,000 percent capacity, he said. The Balearic Islands' social services have taken charge of more than 500 unaccompanied minors so far, according to the island's social affairs official.

"The Algerian route to the Balearics is the fastest-growing in Europe and also, unfortunately, the deadliest," Galmés added, renewing his request for the European Commission to deploy Frontex in the archipelago.

How deadly is the corridor?

The Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras logged at least 507 deaths on the Algerian–Balearic route from January to May 2026, a 54.6 percent rise over the same months in 2025. Most interceptions at sea off the Balearics occur at night, complicating rescue coordination.

Galmés frames the Frontex request as one of burden-sharing: a single island cannot absorb crossings intended for an entire EU frontier, he argues.

What's next?

• October 2026: high-level Spain–Algeria meeting on migration cooperation.
• Pending: Spanish government reply to Galmés's letter.
• Pending: European Commission decision on Frontex deployment to the Balearics.
• Ongoing: daily Civil Guard and Salvamento Marítimo patrols off the archipelago.