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OVERVIEW: The Flow Monitoring Registry (FMR) of the IOM Yemen Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) monitors the arrival of migrants along Yemen’s southern coastal border and the return of Yemeni nationals along its northern border with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to identify migration patterns and provide quantitative estimates of the irregular migrant population entering the country. It’s crucial to understand that the FMR does not capture all migration flows. Instead, it provides indicative insights into migration trends based on a known total number of migrants arriving along monitored coast and land borders during the reporting period. As of the end of September 2024, IOM gained access to the coast of Ta'iz in Dhubab allowing for an improved coverage of arrivals from Djibouti. Please note that this improved coverage will translate into an increased overall number of arrivals that is not necessarily representative of an increase in arrival numbers.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS: In March 2025, the IOM Yemen DTM tracked 8,860 migrants entering Yemen, a substantial decrease of 31 per cent from the total figure reported in the previous month (12,906 migrants). The majority of migrants (74%) left from Djibouti, while the rest (26%) departed from Somalia. All migrants departing from Djibouti arrived in Dhubab district of Ta’iz governorate (6,545 migrants). This brings the total number of arrivals since January 2025 to 37,166.
Among the total migrants recorded, 19 per cent were children, 23 per cent were women, and 58 per cent were men.
During the reporting period, the majority of migrants entered Ta'iz governorate on the west coast through Djibouti (74%), while 26 per cent arrived in Shabwah from Somalia.
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. These figures underscore the significant challenges migrants in Yemen face and the desperate circumstances that have led them to risk dangerous sea voyages.