EU irregular crossings fall 21% in first eight months of 2025 Frontex data

Irregular entries into the European Union fell by 21% in the first eight months of 2025, reaching 112,375, according to preliminary figures from Frontex, the EU Border and Coast Guard Agency.

Frontex said more than 3,700 officers have been deployed to support national authorities, strengthening border protection while working to safeguard lives at sea.

In the Central Mediterranean, almost 41,900 arrivals were detected, broadly similar to last year. Libya remained the main departure point, with smugglers increasingly using speedboats to maximise profits and evade detection.

The Eastern Mediterranean saw a decline of 18%, with around 32,000 crossings recorded. Detections in Crete, however, rose sharply by more than 310% compared with 2024. Rough seas in August contributed to lower overall numbers.

Irregular crossings along the Western Mediterranean route increased by 22%, with arrivals in August up nearly 60%. More than 90% of these departures originated in Algeria, where Algerian-Moroccan criminal networks offer budget routes to Spain.

The Western African route experienced the largest drop, down 52% to about 12,150 detections for the year, with only 572 recorded in August. Frontex attributed the decline to strengthened preventive measures in cooperation with EU partners, particularly Mauritania, which has reinforced its border management.

Attempts to cross the English Channel rose 13%, totalling 46,381 in 2025. In August, 4,734 attempts were registered, limited by persistent bad weather and rough seas.

Despite the overall decline in irregular crossings, the human toll remains high. The International Organisation for Migration estimates that 1,131 people have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean so far this year.

By Tamilla Hasanova