Irregular border crossings in the EU are the highest level since 2016

Brussels – 2023 saw a significant increase in the number of irregular border crossings, which grew by 17 percent in the first 11 months to reach over 355,300. This number has already surpassed all of 2022, marking it the highest value recorded since 2016.

The West African route has seen the sharpest increase, doubling to over 32,400 this year. This unprecedented increase is the highest since Frontex began collecting data in 2009. The number of arrivals in November jumped more than 500 percent over the same month last year, reaching nearly 4,700.

Frontex’s commitment to safeguarding the EU’s borders remains constant, with nearly 2,600 officers and staff engaged in various operations. Recently, the agency provided an additional 50 officers to support Finland in handling an unusually high number of arrivals at its eastern border with Russia.

Highlights of the migration data include:

• A 25 percent decrease in irregular border crossings in November compared to last year, totaling more than 20,000 people.
• All major migratory routes recorded fewer arrivals in November than in October.
• Record numbers on the West African route.
• The Central Mediterranean route, while remaining the busiest in 2023, has shown a downward trend since the beginning of the year.
• The top three nationalities on all routes this year: Syria, Guinea and Afghanistan.

The Central Mediterranean remained the busiest migration route in 2023, with over 152,200 detections reported by national authorities in the first 11 months. This is the highest total on this route for this period since 2016.

However, the number of monthly detections on this route dropped 24 percent month-on-month in November to nearly 7,900.

The Eastern Mediterranean route also remained active, with a nearly 50 percent increase from a year ago in the first 11 months, reaching almost 52,600 detections.

Sea crossings continue to be dangerous for people who engage in irregular migration. Data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) indicate that this year 2,511 people have been reported missing in the Mediterranean. Most of them were sailing on the dangerous Central Mediterranean route.

From January to November, the Western Balkan route experienced the largest annual decline among the major migration routes, with the number of irregular crossings down 28 percent to 98,600.

About 58,300 irregular crossings were detected on both sides of the Channel Route in 2023. This is a 14 percent decrease from the same period in 2022.