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    • Frontex: Irregular border crossings into the EU down 1/3 in first 8 months of 2026

    2026-09-11

    The number of irregular border crossings into the European Union continued to fall in the first eight months of 2026, with detections down by 35% compared with the same period last year. Nearly 75 000 crossings were recorded, according to preliminary data collected by Frontex. The decline on nearly all of the major migratory routes reflects sustained cooperation with partner countries and preventive measures in key departure states, which continue to reduce the number of boats setting out towards Europe. 

    These figures do not include the large-scale movement of people from Morocco into Ceuta at the end of July. No definitive total is likely to be established, as most of those who crossed had returned to Morocco without being registered. 

    “On most routes into Europe, fewer people are attempting the journey, and that has held right through the summer. But Ceuta was a reminder that a quiet border can change in a matter of hours. Smuggling networks do not disappear when the numbers fall. They move, and they wait for an opening to fully exploit it. Our job is to be ready when they find one,” said Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens

    Key highlights:

    • The total EU figures do not include the large-scale movement of people from Morocco into Ceuta at the end of July. 

    • The Eastern Mediterranean and the Central Mediterranean remained the busiest routes, together accounting for almost 60% of all irregular entries into the EU. The corridor from Libya to the Greek island of Crete remained active. 

    • The Western African route saw the steepest decline, with detections down by almost 60% compared with the same period last year. 

    • The Western Mediterranean was the only major route to record an increase, with detections up by 34%. 

    In August alone, some 10 700 crossings were detected, 38% fewer than in August 2025, despite the summer months usually being the busiest part of the year. The period also covered the first full summer under the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, which introduces a single, standardised screening process at the EU’s external borders. Frontex officers support member states in key steps of the new process, including establishing the nationality of arrivals, collecting biometric data and verifying documents. 

    The overall number of irregular arrivals continues to fall, but the human cost remains high. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 1 800 people have lost their lives in the Mediterranean so far this year. Each of these deaths is a reminder of the risks people are pushed to take. Smuggling networks continue to send them to sea in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats, whatever the conditions. 

    With 3 800 officers present at the EU’s external borders, Frontex continues to support national authorities in safeguarding Europe’s borders and saving lives at sea. 


    Most active routes

    The Eastern Mediterranean was the busiest route in the first eight months of the year, with more than 24 200 crossings recorded, a fall of 25% compared with the same period last year. The corridor from Libya to Crete was the most active on the route over the period as a whole. By July the land border with Türkiye had become the busiest section, ahead of the Aegean islands. Some 3 000 crossings were detected in August. The main nationalities detected on the route were Afghan, Sudanese and Bangladeshi. 

    The Central Mediterranean recorded around 19 400 arrivals, 55% fewer than in the same period last year and the second-steepest fall of all routes. Libya remained the main departure hub, accounting for around two thirds of arrivals on the route, ahead of the Algerian and Tunisian corridors. Enforcement operations, detention campaigns and returns carried out by the authorities in Libya and Tunisia have suppressed departures. The main nationalities detected were Bangladeshi, Somali and Algerian. 

    The Western Mediterranean was the only major route to register an increase, with around 15 900 detections, up by 34% year-on-year. As set out above, this total does not include the Ceuta crossings in late July. Algeria remained the main departure country, with the Balearic Islands and the Spanish mainland the principal destinations. Pressure surged in July, when the route reached a three-year monthly high, before easing again in August. The rise reflects a shift in smuggling routes, as stricter controls in Morocco and on the neighbouring Western African and Central Mediterranean routes have pushed more departures towards Algerian shores. 

    The Western African route registered around 5 100 detections, the steepest decline of all routes at 58%. Preventive measures implemented by Mauritania, and more recently by Senegal in cooperation with Spain and the EU, have significantly reduced departures. The flow remains volatile, however. July brought a marked seasonal rise, with an increasing share of boats setting out from The Gambia, Senegal and even Guinea-Bissau, exposing people to longer and more dangerous journeys towards the Canary Islands. 

    Attempts detected on exit towards the UK across the Channel, which include both those who reached the UK and those prevented from leaving, fell by 43% to some 26 600. Crossings remained elevated through the summer, and smuggling networks made increasing use of heavily overcrowded boats, with one vessel carrying 165 people in late July. The agreement between the UK and France signed in April is expected to further strengthen patrols along the French coast in the coming months. 

    * Note: The preliminary data presented in this statement refer to the number of detections of irregular border crossings at the external borders of the European Union. The same person may cross the border several times in different locations at the external border. Frontex figures are compiled from data reported by national authorities. They do not include the movement of people from Morocco into Ceuta at the end of July 2026.