Greek Cypriot crossings through checkpoints from the government-controlled areas to the north increased during the first half of 2026 while Turkish Cypriot crossings declined, according to police data reported on Sunday.

A total of 1,733,326 crossings were recorded through the checkpoints between January and June, with 920,679 involving Greek Cypriots and 812,647 involving Turkish Cypriots.

Greek Cypriot crossings increased by approximately 108,000 compared with the second half of 2025 and by around 280,000 compared with the first half of last year.

Turkish Cypriot crossings followed the opposite trend, for the number recorded during the first six months of 2026 was approximately 143,000 lower than in the second half of 2025 and around 215,000 below the corresponding period of 2025.

The figures concern crossings recorded at the checkpoints and do not represent the number of unique individuals who crossed, as the same person may have crossed multiple times during the period.

Separate figures reported by Turkish Cypriot media showed that 146,096 arrivals were recorded by air and sea in the north during the first half of 2026.

Of those arrivals, 2,440 were Greek Cypriots, compared with 2,685 during the corresponding period of 2025.