Number Of Undocumented Migrants Coming To Europe Record Low Since 2014 - Frontex

Faizan Hashmi Published December 13, 2018 | 06:38 PM

The number of undocumented migrants who arrived in Europe within the first 11 months of 2018 has decreased by 30 percent and stands at the lowest level since 2014, the European Border and Coast Agency (Frontex) said on Thursday in a statement.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th December, 2018) The number of undocumented migrants who arrived in Europe within the first 11 months of 2018 has decreased by 30 percent and stands at the lowest level since 2014, the European Border and Coast Agency (Frontex) said on Thursday in a statement.

"In the first 11 months of 2018, the number of irregular border crossings into the EU fell by 30% from a year ago to about 138,000, mainly because of lower migratory pressure in the Central Mediterranean. A month before the end of the year, 2018 remains on track to see the lowest number of illegal border crossings since 2014," the statement said.

According to Frontex, in November, around 8,800 undocumented migrants arrived in Europe, which is 44 percent less than in November 2017.

"The Western Mediterranean remained the most active migratory route, accounting for more than half of all monthly detections of illegal border crossings in Europe. In November, the number of irregular migrants taking this route rose 29% from the same month of last year to 4,900," the border agency said.

The route is especially popular among citizens of Morocco, Guinea and Mali, according to the statement.

"The number of migrants arriving in Europe via the Central Mediterranean route in November fell to about 900, down 83% from November 2017. The total number of migrants detected on this route in the first 11 months of 2018 fell to roughly 22,800, 80% lower than a year ago," Frontex said, adding that the route is mainly used by migrants from Tunisia and Eritrea.

The EU border agency provided no specific figures about the number of migrants who arrived in Europe through the Western Balkan route.

The European Union has been experiencing a large-scale migration crisis since 2015 due to the influx of thousands of migrants and refugees fleeing crises in their home countries in the middle East and North Africa.