86% Rise in Illegal Migration to the EU in 2022

The European Union has received 155,090 migrants between January and July in 2022, excluding Ukrainians. According to the European Board and Coastguard Agency, Frontex, this represents a 86% rise compared to the same months in 2021. Frontex had already warned of a significant upswing back in January and again in March. 

Of the total migrants that arrived by July, 14,866 entered through the Western Balkans, which is now the most used of Europe’s migration routes. These were mainly Syrian, Afghani, and Turkish. 

The next most active routes are that of the Central Mediterranean, registering a 44% increase compared to the same period in 2021, totaling 42,500 entries, and the Eastern Mediterranean, through which 22,601 people arrived at the continent illegally. Cyprus is key to this latter path, mainly receiving persons from Syria, Nigeria, and Congo.

In contrast, and likely on account of the Ukraine war, the EU’s eastern European border has been subject to less irregular migration, experiencing a 32% fall (always contrasting to the January-July 2021 bracket). This amounted to 2,923 detected migrants, mainly from Ukraine, Iraq, and Belarus—although, again, the Ukrainians were excluded from the above figure of 155,090.