WARSAW, POLAND / RankWire.AI / – During the first seven months of 2026, the European Union saw a 37% drop in irregular border crossings, according to early border data. Frontex recorded approximately 61,000 detections from January through July, a decrease compared to the same period in 2025. The majority of the EU’s main migration routes experienced declines during this time. The figures include activity at external borders and reveal notable differences among routes across the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and eastern borders.
The Eastern Mediterranean had 20,232 detections, making it the busiest route over the seven months. This total dropped 28% from 28,068 the previous year. The Central Mediterranean recorded 16,454 detections, a 55% decline from 36,656. These two routes made up about three-fifths of the EU entry detections covered by the data. Libya continued to be the primary departure country for crossings along the Central Mediterranean during this period.
The Western Mediterranean saw the most significant increase among major routes. Detections rose 37% to 11,217 from 8,175 during the first seven months of 2025. Sea crossings there reached 8,648, up from 7,096 the previous year. Land detections through June totaled 2,569, an increase from 1,079. Meanwhile, the Western African route decreased by 60%, with detections falling to 4,682. Western Balkan detections declined 26% to 4,910, and the Eastern Land Border dropped 44% to 3,209.
Western Mediterranean remains an outlier amid overall decrease
Crossings toward the United Kingdom also declined sharply during this period. Authorities recorded 22,469 attempted or completed crossings from the EU side, a 46% decrease from 41,647 a year earlier. These Channel crossing figures are separate from the total irregular entries into the bloc. The data also showed 281 detections on the circular route to Albania, which is a 9% increase. The overall seven-month total excludes exceptional activity at the external border in Ceuta, Spain, near the end of July.
Frontex compiled the data from preliminary EUROSUR information and estimates available as of Aug. 4. The agency may revise these figures once national authorities submit updated data. Frontex reports detections, not individual people, so one person can appear multiple times in the statistics. This can happen if authorities identify the same individual at different locations or during separate crossing attempts. This distinction affects how the route totals are interpreted across the dataset.
Decline in July continues the trend from the first half of 2026
The July data reinforce the ongoing year-on-year decline seen in the first half of 2026. By June, authorities recorded over 49,000 irregular border crossings, a 37% decrease from 2025. At that time, detections on the Western Mediterranean were 17% higher than the previous year. The seven-month data now show a 37% increase overall. The Western African route experienced a 67% decrease through June, which narrowed to 60% after the seven months.
Frontex has about 3,800 officers working at the EU’s external borders. They support national authorities with border management and maritime operations. They also help member states with tasks related to EU migration and asylum policies. The latest figures indicate widespread decreases across most major entry routes in the first seven months of 2026. The Western Mediterranean remains the main exception. The Eastern and Central Mediterranean routes continue to account for most detected irregular entries.