WARSAW, Poland — The number of irregular border crossings into the European Union fell significantly in 2024, according to the bloc’s border control agency Frontex, something which it attributed to intensified cooperation against smuggling networks.

The number of migrants entering the European Union by irregualr routes dropped overall by 38% in 2024, reaching the lowest level since 2021, the EU border agency Frontex said on Tuesday. However, the number of people crossing from the EU's borders with Belarus and Russia jumped 192% to 17,

Around 239,000 people attempted to enter the EU irregularly last year, down 38% from 2023, the EU border protection agency Frontex said in Warsaw on Tuesday. It is the lowest figure since 2021, when migration movements were restricted by the coronavirus pandemic.