“Despite the overall decline, the human cost remains devastating.” According to preliminary data from the International Organization for Migration, 1,299 people have died while attempting to cross the Mediterranean so far this year. These figures appear in a recently published Frontex report. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency has taken stock of the situation, noting a decline in “irregular” entries, while emphasising the ongoing tragedy at sea: lives lost at sea by people seeking a dignified existence.
According to preliminary data from Frontex, irregular entries into the European Union decreased by 22% in the first nine months of 2025, reaching 133,400.
“In the Central Mediterranean, nearly 50,900 arrivals were recorded between January and September 2025, a figure broadly in line with the same period last year.”
However, Libya, the main departure point, recorded a 50% increase in departures compared to 2024.
Alongside these figures comes the news that Frontex and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Home Affairs hosted delegations from both the recognised Libyan government in Tripoli and the rival, unrecognised government in Benghazi, in an effort to strengthen cooperation on migration policies.
It should also be noted that, despite receiving European funds to combat migration, migrants from sub-Saharan Africa continue to be victims of ill-treatment and cruelty in Libya’s immigration centres, while Libyan coast guard vessels have repeatedly opened fire on NGO boats in the Mediterranean operating to save human lives.
The Frontex report also states: “The number of irregular crossings registered in the Eastern Mediterranean decreased by 22% to around 37,200.” Following a lower number of arrivals in August due to adverse weather conditions, however, crossings via the Libya-Crete corridor surged again in September, with detections increasing by 280% compared to last year.
On the Western Mediterranean route, irregular crossings increased by 28%.
In September alone, arrivals rose by more than half, with departures from Algeria accounting for almost three-quarters of detections this year.
“Morocco’s stronger prevention efforts have pushed more people to seek smuggling services in Algeria,” says Frontex. “This has led to closer cooperation between Algerian and Moroccan smuggling networks and a shift of some operations to Algerian territory. These groups use complex tactics, including transporting migrants in speedboats with powerful engines.”
The Western African route saw the sharpest decline, with detections falling by 58% to almost 12,900 this year, and just 734 in September.”
Frontex further notes that crossings to the United Kingdom via the English Channel have increased by 14%, reaching 54,300 attempts.
There have also been “sharp declines” in entries to the EU via the Western Balkans (-47%) and along the eastern land border (-36%).
Looking at the nationalities of those crossing, some new trends have emerged: alongside migrants from Africa, there has been an increase in the number of migrants from Bangladesh, Egypt, and Afghanistan.
Finally, with regard to the activities of the EU agency: more than 3,600 Frontex agents are currently assisting national authorities in safeguarding Europe’s external borders.
