Greek Minister for Maritime Affairs Vassilis Kikilias explained that official migrant entry numbers had fallen by over a third in the first half of the year — compared to the same period in 2025.

He explained that arrivals from Turkey and Libya — the two countries with the highest rate of irregular boat departures by far — were particular noteworthy in the development.

In total, since the beginning of 2026, there have been close to 15,500 irregular migrant arrivals by boat according to government records, compared to last year's tally of just over 23,000 during the same period.

In total, more than 49,000 people managed to arrive in Greece using irregular means in 2025.

Read AlsoGreek coast guard rescues hundreds of migrants, as Libya-Crete route becomes busier

Major fall in arrivals from Turkey

Kikilias highlighted that the biggest fall was measured in migrant arrivals from Turkey, with a dip of almost 60 percent.

Arrivals from Libya showed a smaller — but not insignificant — fall of around four percent within the context of overall shrinking arrival rates.

Minister Kikilias said these developments were the result of the government taking a tougher stance on irregular immigration as well as beefed up patrols by the Greek coast guard, which he said were also instrumental for saving more lives than ever before.

Read AlsoCrete and Gavdos among Greek Islands with highest migrant sea arrivals

More arrivals in Crete and Gavdos from Libya

However, the numbers were made public just as another 234 migrants succeeded in either reaching the southern Greek island of Gavdos, next to Crete, earlier in the week or in being intercepted in Greek waters, which means that authorities nevertheless are in charge of processing any asylum request they might lodge.

The latest arrivals are all believed to have departed from Libya, despite Greece strengthening its cooperation with the North African country over the past 12 months.

Read AlsoOver 200 migrants picked up by Greek authorities south of Crete