The number of irregular border crossings into the EU fell by 42% to 166.000 in the first nine months of this year, according to Frontex
According to preliminary data collected by Frontex, the most significant declines in irregular border crossings were observed on the Western Balkan and Central Mediterranean routes, with a 79% and 64% decline, respectively. The Eastern Land Border and Western African routes saw the highest increases, at 192% and 100%, respectively.
Frontex published data on the number of irregular border crossings for January-September 2024. Key highlights for the first nine months of 2024 include:
- The number of detections in the Western Balkan route recorded the biggest drop of all the main migratory routes to the EU this year with a fall of 79% to nearly 17.000.
- The Central Mediterranean route also followed a significant downward trend as the number of arrivals on this route fell by 64% to 47.700.
- The Eastern Land Borders continued to record high numbers of arrivals with an increase of 192% to 13.200.
- The number of detections on the Western African route remained exceptionally high, reaching over 30.600, double the figure from the same period of last year.
- The Eastern Mediterranean saw an increase of 15% to 45.600.
For further details, including on top nationalities, please read the press release from Frontex.