EU external borders: irregular crossings fall 22% in the first 10 months of 2025

Irregular entries into the European Union dropped by 22% in the first ten months of 2025 to 152 000, according to preliminary data from Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency.*

More than 3 800 Frontex officers are supporting national authorities in safeguarding the EU's external borders across Europe.

Key highlights:

• Strong declines were recorded on the Western African (-59%), Western Balkan (-46%), and Eastern Land Border (-38%) routes.
• The Central Mediterranean remained the busiest route, accounting for two of every five irregular entries into the EU this year.
• Irregular entries on the Western Mediterranean route rose 27%.
• The most frequently reported nationalities: Bangladeshi, Egyptian and Afghan.

In the Central Mediterranean, nearly 59 000 arrivals were detected between January and October 2025 - broadly in line with the same period last year. Libya remains the main departure point, accounting for 90% of all arrivals on this route.

In the Eastern Mediterranean, the number of irregular crossings fell by 25% to nearly 43 000. However, activity along the Libya-Crete corridor remained high in October, with detections increasing by 272% in the first ten months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.

On the Western Mediterranean route, the number of irregular crossings increased by 27%. Over 75% of migrants departed from Algeria. The main nationalities registered on this route were Algerian and Moroccan.

The Western African route recorded the sharpest decline, down by 59% to just over 14 100 detections this year. The majority of people detected on this route were nationals of Mali, Senegal and Guinea.

Despite the overall decline, the human cost remains devastating. According to estimates by the International Organization for Migration, more than 1 500 people have died while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea so far this year.