Nearly 12,900 migrants arrived in the EU in September, with more than half of those - 6,500 - arriving in Spain, four times more than September of last year, according to EU border agency Frontex. It said during the first nine months of the year, arrivals to Italy dropped by 85% and by one-third across the EU.
The total number of migrants who arrived to the EU in the month of September of this year represented a 21% decrease on September of last year.
Western Mediterranean carries most migrants
September was the third consecutive month that the Western Mediterranean route carried at least half of all migrant arrivals into the EU. In the first nine months of 2018, 110,000 people arrived through the four main migratory routes: Western, Central, Eastern, and the Balkans. That number is one-third less than the same period last year, due to decreased pressure on the Central Mediterranean route to Italy.
Of the total, at least 35,500 were irregular migrant arrivals on Spanish coasts over the same period, more than double the first nine months of 2017.The highest number of migrants came from Morocco, Guinea, and Mali. People from sub-Saharan countries represented more than three-quarters of arrivals to Spain.
Arrivals to Italy down 85%
In September, Italy saw 900 migrant arrivals, an 85% drop compared to September last year. In the first nine months of 2018, a total of 20,900 migrants reached Italy, representing an 81% drop on the same period last year. The highest number of migrants on the Central Mediterranean route - more than one-third of the total - came from Tunisia and Eritrea. Those two countries were followed by migrants from Sudan, Pakistan, and Nigeria.
In Greece in September, 5,400 migrants arrived through the Eastern Mediterranean route, 25% less than the same month in 2017. However, in the first nine months of the year, 40,300 migrants reached Greece, a 40% increase on the same period in 2017, mainly because of an increase of arrivals through the land border with Turkey. The highest number of migrants to Greece came from Syria and Iraq.