Eurostat: EU deportations rise despite fewer expulsion orders

Eurostat data shows that in the first quarter of 2026, more people were actually returned from EU countries to third countries than before, even though the total number of expulsion orders decreased. In Estonia during the same period, 140 third-country nationals received departure orders, of whom 120 left the country. Member states' approaches differ significantly: the Baltic states favour voluntary departure, while Denmark and Italy are dominated by forced deportations.

The EU's statistical office Eurostat released first-quarter 2026 data on the return of illegal migrants, which reveals a striking paradox: although the total number of expulsion orders declined, the number of deportations actually carried out increased.

Fewer orders, more implementations

From January to March 2026, the EU issued a total of 108,475 departure orders to third-country nationals without a legal basis for residence in the EU. Compared with the previous quarter, this figure fell by 7.9% and year-on-year by as much as 12.8%. At the same time, however, 34,550 people actually left EU territory, which is 2% more than the previous quarter and 8.1% more than a year ago.

France issued the most expulsion orders (34,880), followed by Germany (10,360) and Spain (9,275). Nationals of Algeria (11,105), Morocco (6,435) and Syria (5,355) most frequently received departure orders.

Estonia implemented most orders

In the first quarter of 2026, 140 third-country nationals received departure orders in Estonia. Of these, 120 left the country, meaning the implementation rate was nearly 86%, which exceeds the EU average.

In terms of the number of deportations actually carried out, Germany led the EU, returning 7,300 people, followed by France (3,775) and Poland (2,660). The most deportations were of nationals from Turkey (3,555), Georgia (2,060) and Albania (2,050).

Voluntary versus forced departure

Eurostat data highlight significant differences in member states' approaches. On average across the EU, 59.6% of returns were voluntary and 40.4% were forced. The Baltic states stand out with a high share of voluntary departures, in Lithuania this was 94.6%, in Latvia 93.5% and in Estonia 90.1%. The opposite picture emerges in Denmark, where forced deportations accounted for 85.1%, and in Italy, where it was 76.9%.