Irregular migrations into the EU have been declining since last year and Slovenia is no exception to the trend. In the first three months of the year the Slovenian police handled 3,876 irregular border crossings, down 60% on a year ago, the latest police statistics show.

The decline is even more pronounced than in the EU as a whole, where irregular crossings declined by 30%, according to data by Frontex, the EU's borders agency.

The trend appears to be driven by the fall of the Assad regime in Syria. While Syrians accounted for the bulk of migrants last year, their numbers have now plunged, from 3,806 in the first three months of 2024 to just 234.

Similarly, the number of Afghanis dropped by more than half, to 524, and the number of Moroccans by two-thirds to 375.

On the other hand, there were more migrants from Bangladesh and Egypt.

By the end of March, almost 3,300 migrants expressed the intention to apply for international protection, which is almost three times lower than in the first three months of 2024.

Of those, just 833 submitted asylum applications, down by nearly half compared to the same period last year.

The figures show that for the majority of the migrants, Slovenia is a transitional country. The vast majority of those who apply for asylum leave the country before the procedures are completed.