Reduced departure orders and increased returns

In the third quarter of 2023, 107,135 non-EU citizens received orders to leave an EU Member State and a total of 27,095 returned to another country following these orders. Compared to the same quarter of 2022, the number of non-EU citizens ordered to leave the EU decreased by 4%, while the number of those returned to another country increased by 12%.

Compared to the previous quarter of this year, the number of departure orders (+1%) and returns (+2%) saw slight increases, shows Eurostat data.

The majority of returnees following departure orders were sent to countries outside the EU (81% of all individuals in Q3 2023).

Among those ordered to leave the territory of an EU Member State in the third quarter of 2023, Moroccans accounted for the largest share of the total (8%), followed by Syrian and Algerian nationals (7% each), nationals of Afghanistan (6%), Turkey and Georgia (5% each).

Among returnees to another country, most were citizens of Georgia (11%), followed by Albania and Turkey (7% each) and Moldova (4%).

Looking at the data at national level, the highest numbers of non-EU citizens ordered to leave the territory of an EU Member State were recorded in France (29,885), Germany (11,470) and Greece (9,545).

Germany (4,100), Sweden (2,865) and France (2,850) recorded the highest numbers of persons returned to another country.