In comparison with the first quarter of 2024, the number of orders to leave decreased by 7%, while the number of returns to third countries declined by 3.9%.
The number of non-EU citizens ordered to leave dropped by 10%, while the number of people returned to third countries increased by 21.3% when compared with the same quarter of 2023.
Though Latvia records fairly small figures in absolute terms, the numbers have risen in recent years as a result of the international people-smuggling operation of Belarus dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko. In the second quarter 530 people were ordered to leave Latvia and more than 455 were returned to third countries following an order to leave.
In the same period 145 people were returned to third countries from Estonia. 950 persons were told to leave Lithuania and while data for the number of people deported was not included in Eurostat's data sets, an accompanying chart showed just over 800 people were returned to third countries during the period.
Among non-EU citizens ordered to leave the territory of an EU country in this period, Algerian and Moroccan citizens had the largest share of the total (each with 7%), followed by Turks and Syrians (each with 6%). Among those returned to third countries, most were citizens of Georgia (10%), followed by Albania (8%) and Türkiye (7%).
Looking at national data, the highest numbers of non-EU citizens ordered to leave the territory of an EU country were recorded in France (31 195), Germany (12 885) and Greece (6 555).
France (3 555), Germany (2 830) and Sweden (2 360) recorded the highest number of people returned to third countries.
