Migrant crossings from Libya to Italy halve
Sea crossings from Libya to Italy fell by more than half in the first six months of 2026, official Italian data shows, though Libya remains the main route and hundreds have still drowned.
- Italy's Interior Ministry recorded 11,995 arrivals from Libya by July 3, down from 27,303 in the same period of 2025, a fall of about 53%.
- Total sea arrivals from all routes roughly halved too, to 14,464 from 30,598 a year earlier. Libya still accounts for around 83% of everyone reaching Italy by sea.
- The drop does not mean safer crossings: more than 800 people have died or gone missing in the central Mediterranean so far in 2026.
Why it mattersArrivals are down sharply, yet Libya still funnels most of Europe's sea migration and the crossing remains one of the world's deadliest, so the pressure and the dying have not gone away.
Italian Ministry of the Interio… ↗ · Jul 6, 2026 · ✓ Checked