Greece Ranks Third in EU for Ordering Non-EU Citizens to Leave in Q2 2024

Greece ranked among the leading European Union countries ordering non-EU citizens to leave its territory in the second quarter of 2024, according to new data.

In total, 6,555 non-EU citizens were instructed to depart from Greece during this period, placing it third behind France (31,195) and Germany (12,885) in the EU-wide statistics.

Across the EU, 96,115 non-EU citizens were ordered to leave an EU country in the second quarter of 2024, while 25,285 people were returned to third countries after being ordered to leave. These figures represent a decrease of 7% in the number of orders to leave and a decline of 3.9% in returns when compared to the first quarter of 2024.

Compared to the same quarter in 2023, the number of orders to leave fell by 10%, whereas the number of individuals returned to third countries rose significantly by 21.3%.

Algerian and Moroccan citizens each accounted for 7% of the total number of non-EU citizens ordered to leave the EU, followed by Turkish and Syrian citizens, each at 6%. For those returned to third countries, Georgian citizens comprised the largest group (10%), followed by Albanians (8%) and Turkish nationals (7%).

Although Greece recorded one of the highest numbers of orders to leave, the country was not among the top three EU nations for executing returns. France (3,555), Germany (2,830), and Sweden (2,360) led in the number of individuals returned to third countries during this period.

Read more: Eurostat reports

(Source: Eurostat)