In March 2025, the International Organization for Migration IOM Yemen Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) tracked 8,860 migrants entering Yemen, the majority of them (74%) left from Djibouti, while the rest (26%) departed from Somalia, according to a recent report published by IOM.
The report noticed that migrants entering Yemen during last March represented a substantial decrease of 31 per cent from the total figure reported in the previous month (12,906 migrants bringing the total number of arrivals since January 2025 to 37,166 .
The report added that those migrants departing from Djibouti (6,545 migrants) arrived to Dhubab district of Ta’iz governorate, while 26 per cent arrived in Shabwah from Somalia, adding that among the total migrants recorded, 19 per cent were children, 23 per cent were women, and 58 per cent were men.
Most migrants were Ethiopian nationals (95%), while five per cent were Somali nationals. Notably, no migrants were recorded arriving in Lahj during March 2025. This is likely due to measures taken by the government to combat smuggling since August 2023.
The DTM team identified 3,216 Yemeni returnees in March 2025, a nine per cent decrease compared to the number of returnees in February 2025 (3,535 individuals).
Additionally, the team recorded a total of 315 migrants that were deported from Oman back to Deifen Point in Shahan district of Al Maharah Governorate, Yemen. All deported migrants were Ethiopian nationals.
While the worsening humanitarian crisis in Yemen has compelled some migrants to make the difficult decision to return to their home countries in the Horn of Africa, others have reportedly been returned by government authorities.
In March 2025, DTM recorded a total of 1,234 migrants leaving Yemen either voluntarily or returned by boat from Yemen. This group was composed of 79 per cent men, 15 per cent women, and six per cent children.
Furthermore, in March 2025, the Djibouti DTM team reported a total of 1,593 migrants (84% men, 15% women, and 1% children) arrived in Djibouti from Yemen.
IOM’s report concluded that these figures underscore the significant challenges migrants in Yemen face and the desperate circumstances that have led them to risk dangerous sea voyages.