An Italian police officer (L) gestures as migrants wait on the Italian island of Lampedusa, on September 13, 2023. AFP
Tunisia and Libya are main embarcation points for migrants making the perilous sea-crossing to Europe.
The central Mediterranean "accounts for half of irregular border crossings in 2023", with 114,265 detected, the Frontex agency said.
The main sources of migrants arriving on this route were Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt and Guinea, the agency said.
"Increased migratory pressure on this route may persist in the coming months with smugglers offering lower prices for migrants departing from Libya and Tunisia amid fierce competition among the criminal groups," Frontex said.
The United Nations says that 2,325 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year.
Italy's government on Thursday said that 126,000 migrants had arrived on its coast so far this year, compared to 66,000 in the same period last year.
The southernmost Italian island of Lampedusa has seen the arrival of over 7,000 migrants in recent days.
The EU signed a agreement with Tunisia in July aimed at stemming the flow of irregular migration from the North African country.
The accord -- strongly backed by Italy -- has been criticised by EU lawmakers on the left for offering financial help to Tunisia's increasingly authoritarian government.
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