A total of 115,440 non-EU citizens were ordered to leave European Union countries in the third quarter of 2025, with 34,155 people subsequently returned to countries outside the EU.
The number of orders to leave increased by 2.7% compared with the same period in 2024, while the number of people returned to third countries rose by 14.6% in that time, Eurostat informed on Friday.
Compared to the previous quarter, orders to leave dropped by 0.9%, but returns to third countries went up by 5%.
Algerian citizens received the highest number of orders to leave the EU, at 12,325, followed by citizens of Morocco (6,670) and Turkey (6,350) during the three-month period.
Citizens of Turkey accounted for the highest number returned to their country after an order to leave, with 3,625, followed by Georgia (2,835) and Albania (2,055).
Breakdown by country
France issued the highest number of orders for non-EU citizens to leave at 33,760, ahead of Germany (12,510) and Greece (10,175).
Germany recorded the largest number of returns to third countries, with 7,190 people, followed by France (3,760) and Cyprus (3,000).
The figures refer to non-EU citizens who were ordered to leave any EU member state, along with those who were returned — meaning physically removed or departed voluntarily — to a non-EU country after receiving such an order, Eurostat explained.
