The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) reported this Thursday that attempts to enter irregularly into the European Union (EU) via the Canary Islands have decreased by 83% during the first two months of 2026. In total, 1,215 people arrived in the Canary Islands in January and February .
According to preliminary data from the agency based in Poland released this Thursday, the severe weather conditions on the main migratory routes have been decisive in this downward trend, which is reflected in all migratory routes.
In global terms, the European Union recorded nearly 12,000 irregular crossings between January and February of this year, which represents a 52% reduction compared to the same period of the previous year.
The most pronounced decrease was located on the West African route, the one heading towards the Canary Islands, where the largest drop occurred at least since 2009, when Frontex began publishing its data, but other areas also showed significant decreases, such as the eastern land border (from Ukraine and Belarus), with an 80% decrease (196 detections).
On the Western Balkans route, with 930 cases, a sharp decrease was also registered in the number of attempts to enter the EU: 38% less.
On the contrary, the central Mediterranean remained the most active route and concentrated 30% of total entries, with 3,395 detections made by Frontex, despite there being 50% fewer cases than last year.
The Western Mediterranean route, which includes access through the Strait of Gibraltar, was the only one that registered an increase and witnessed 2,172 arrivals, 9% more than between January and February of the previous year.
Regarding the profile of the migrants, the most frequent nationalities were Afghan, Bangladeshi, and Algerian. However, on the Canary Islands route, citizens from Gambia, Senegal, and Guinea stood out for their number.
On the other hand, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that about 660 people lost their lives in shipwrecks in the Mediterranean in the first two months of 2026.
