Irregular migration to Europe plummets in 2018: Report

BRUSSELS – Anadolu Agency

Irregular migration to Europe plummeted last year, a report by the European Border and Coastguard Agency (Frontex) revealed on Jan. 4.

The level of migration in 2018 was down more than 90 percent from 2015 and down roughly 25 percent from 2017, it said.

This was mainly due to a “dramatic fall” in the number of migrants making their way via the central Mediterranean route from Libya and Algeria, falling to roughly 23,000 or 20 percent of the level in 2017.

The report showed an increase in migrants coming from the western Mediterranean route from Morocco to Spain, which rose to roughly 57,000 in 2018, a fourfold increase from the level in 2016.

Migration via Libya showed the steepest drop, down 87 percent from 2017.

Slightly less than one fifth of all migrants consisted of women, with roughly the same amount being children under 18 years old.

According to the report, close to 4,000 unaccompanied minors tried to make their way to Europe in 2018.