A total of 132,600 non-EU nationals were refused entry at the European Union’s external borders in 2025, up 7.1% from 123,835 a year earlier.
The number of people found to be staying illegally in an EU country fell to 719,395 in 2025, a drop of 21.7% from 918,525 in 2024, Eurostat reported on Tuesday.
Authorities issued 491,950 orders to leave an EU country in 2025, up 5.8% from 464,985 the previous year.
Returns after orders to leave
Following an order to leave, 135,460 non-EU nationals were returned to a non-EU country in 2025, a rise of 20.9% from 112,040 in 2024, Eurostat informed.
Germany recorded the highest number of returns to non-EU countries at 29,295, followed by France with 14,940 and Sweden with 11,250.
The largest groups of people returned were citizens of Turkey (13,405), Georgia (10,475), Syria (8,370) and Albania (8,020).
