WARSAW, POLAND / RankWire.AI / – Irregular border crossings into the European Union dropped 37% during the first seven months of 2026, according to preliminary border data. Frontex counted about 61,000 detections from January through July, compared with the same period in 2025. Most of the EU’s main migration routes posted declines during that period. The figures cover activity at external borders and show substantial differences between routes across the Mediterranean, Atlantic and eastern frontier.
The Eastern Mediterranean registered 20,232 detections, making it the busiest route during the seven-month period. That total fell 28% from 28,068 a year earlier. The Central Mediterranean recorded 16,454 detections, down 55% from 36,656. Those two routes together accounted for roughly three-fifths of the EU entry detections covered by the data. Libya remained the main departure country for crossings along the Central Mediterranean route during the reporting period.
The Western Mediterranean recorded the strongest increase among the major routes. Detections there rose 37% to 11,217 from 8,175 in the first seven months of 2025. Sea crossings reached 8,648, compared with 7,096 a year earlier. Land detections through June totaled 2,569, up from 1,079. Elsewhere, the Western African route fell 60% to 4,682. Western Balkan detections declined 26% to 4,910, while the Eastern Land Border dropped 44% to 3,209.
Western Mediterranean stands apart from wider decline
Channel crossings toward the United Kingdom also declined sharply during the period. Authorities counted 22,469 attempted or completed crossings from the EU side, down 46% from 41,647 a year earlier. Those Channel figures sit outside the total for irregular entries into the bloc. Data also showed 281 detections on the circular route to Albania, an increase of 9%. The overall seven-month tally excludes exceptional activity at the external border in Ceuta, Spain, near the end of July.
Frontex compiled the figures from preliminary EUROSUR information and estimates available as of Aug. 4. The agency can revise the numbers as national authorities submit updated data. Frontex counts detections rather than individual people, so one person may appear more than once in the statistics. That can happen when authorities detect the same person at different locations or during separate crossing attempts. The distinction applies across the dataset and affects how route totals should be read.
July data continue decline seen in first half
The July update extends the year-on-year decline reported for the first half of 2026. Through June, authorities counted more than 49,000 irregular border crossings, also 37% below the 2025 level. At that point, Western Mediterranean detections stood 17% higher year on year. The seven-month data lifted that increase to 37%. The Western African route showed a 67% drop through June before the seven-month decline narrowed to 60%.
Around 3,800 Frontex officers serve at the European Union’s external borders, supporting national authorities with border management and operations at sea. They also assist member states with tasks linked to EU migration and asylum rules. The latest border figures show broad decreases across most major entry routes during the first seven months of 2026. The Western Mediterranean remained the main exception, while the Eastern and Central Mediterranean routes continued to account for the largest share of detected irregular entries.