Saudi Arabia Deported 26,400 Ethiopians in First Quarter, IOM Data Show

Saudi Arabia deported 26,400 Ethiopian nationals during the first three months of 2026, more than double the total for the same period a year earlier, according to International Organization for Migration data reported by The Reporter on August 15.

The first-quarter total was 106 percent higher than the 12,800 deportations recorded between January and March 2025. It was, however, 19 percent below the 32,500 recorded in the final quarter of 2025. IOM linked that quarterly decline partly to travel restrictions during regional tensions and limited capacity at reception centres in Ethiopia.

Men represented 92 percent of those returned, and at least 679 returnees were minors. Tigray accounted for 36 percent of returns, Amhara 31 percent and Oromia 29 percent. Returns to Tigray and Oromia were each 146 percent higher than a year earlier, while those to Amhara rose 71 percent.

IOM documented risks along the Eastern Migration Route through Yemen, including detention, trafficking, violence, forced relocation and exploitation. It also reported an increase in children travelling through Yemen, most of them aged 14 to 17 among those identified in February.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Women and Social Affairs separately said 1,708 Ethiopians living in difficult conditions in Saudi Arabia had returned during the preceding week on eight flights. The increase in returnees is adding pressure to reception and reintegration services even as economic hardship continues to drive irregular migration toward the Gulf.