Irregular entry into the EU falls by 29% in 2026, according to Frontex

O the number of irregular entries at the European Union's external borders decreased by 29% in the first 10 months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, to almost 110,000, according to data released today by the European Frontex Agency.

Data published today by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), between January and October, some 110,000 irregular crossings were detected, maintaining the trend of “descent on most major migration routes towards Europe”.

In October, around 18,100 entries were recorded, minus 6% in homologous terms, but 22% more than in September, mainly due to the increase in arrivals via the West African route towards the Canary Islands, according to Frontex.

This route recorded about 5,100 detections in October, four times more than in the same month of 2025 and two and a half times more than September, although in the accumulated of the first ten months of the year, it presented a 13% reduction.

The Eastern Mediterranean remained the main migratory route, with about 38,200 entries, minus 12% in homologous terms, followed by the Central Mediterranean, with 26,600 arrivals, a 55% drop, the most pronounced among the main routes.

The Western Mediterranean, on the other hand, was the only major route to increase, with around 19,700 detections, 21% more than in the first ten months of 2025.

On the English Channel route, attempts to cross over to the UK, including those who managed to reach their destination and those who were prevented from leaving, decreased by 40% to about 35,200.

Despite the overall reduction in irregular entry, Frontex warns of the “high human cost” of crossings, citing data from the International Organization for Migration that more than 2,000 people have died in the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year.

“On most routes to Europe, there are fewer people trying to make the trip, and this trend has remained during the autumn, but the West African route towards the Canary Islands shows how quickly the situation can change [since] in October, the detections were four times higher than those recorded a year earlier,” says Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens, quoted in the statement.

In addition, “migrant trafficking networks do not disappear when numbers fall,” warns the person responsible, pointing out that they “change location and await an opportunity”.

In the note, Frontex further stresses that “the development of the situation beyond the EU’s external borders remains a source of uncertainty”.

“ The large-scale returns of Afghan citizens from Iran and Pakistan continue to influence migratory movements towards Europe, while instability in the Sahel region is driving off the West African and Western Mediterranean routes,” he concludes.

Frontex maintains more than 3,800 agents deployed at the EU's external borders in support of national authorities.