Irregular migration to Europe fell overall even as Bangladeshi nationals remained the largest group attempting the perilous Central Mediterranean passage.
New figures show total detections across the EU down 22% year-on-year, but 8,046 people entered via the Central Mediterranean in September alone, with Bangladeshis leading that flow.
From January to September, 50,850 people were registered on the route, a 2 percent rise from a year earlier. The data were released on Friday in a report by Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency.
Frontex’s preliminary totals indicate 133,400 irregular entries into the EU from January through September, with more than 3,600 agency personnel currently deployed on migration surveillance duties across Europe’s borders.
The agency attributes the overall decline to reinforced monitoring and border controls.
Route dynamics diverged. Frontex reports sharp decreases in irregular entries on the Western African corridor (down 58%), the Western Balkans (down 47%), and the EU’s eastern land border (down 36%).
By contrast, the Central Mediterranean remained the most heavily used path—accounting for about 40% of all detections—with most arrivals landing in Italy.
While overall irregular movements fell, the Western Mediterranean route recorded a 28% increase through September. September arrivals on that corridor surged by more than half, driven largely by departures from Algeria—which accounted for nearly three-quarters of those crossings—followed by nationals of Somalia and Morocco.
Notable position of Bangladeshis
Frontex says Bangladeshis, Egyptians and Afghans are currently the most frequently detected nationalities among irregular entrants. On the Central Mediterranean alone, nearly 50,900 arrivals were identified from January to September, the majority of them Bangladeshi. Departures from Libya intensified, with more people boarding boats and trawlers than last year.
Humanitarian crisis still deep
The humanitarian toll remains severe. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates at least 1,299 people died crossing the Mediterranean through September this year, underscoring that, despite fewer irregular entries in some corridors, many continue to risk their lives at sea.
Increased flow towards the UK
Pressure is also rising toward the United Kingdom. Attempts to reach Britain via small boats across the English Channel from France increased 14%, with 54,300 people making the attempt through September, according to the Frontex assessment. UK and French operational data likewise show persistent small-boat activity on the Channel.
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