Deportation orders against Moroccans decline across Europe

The number of Moroccans ordered to leave European Union countries has fallen, even as overall return decisions remain high across the bloc, according to data released by Eurostat.

The figures point to a noticeable slowdown in deportation orders targeting Moroccan nationals during the third quarter of 2025.

According to the European statistics office, around 6,670 Moroccan citizens were issued orders to leave EU territory between July and September. 

These deportation orders account for 5.8 percent of all departure orders issued by EU member states during that period, out of more than 440,000 orders affecting non-EU nationals overall. 

Compared with the second quarter of 2025, decisions against Moroccans dropped by nearly 6 percent, marking one of the clearer declines among major migrant groups.

At the same time, total departure orders across the EU fell slightly by about 1 percent compared to the previous quarter. 

On a year-on-year basis, however, the number was still up by 2.7 percent, showing that migration enforcement remains a key focus for European authorities.

Algerian nationals topped the list of those targeted by EU departure orders, with more than 12,000 decisions issued against them, representing 10.7 percent of the total. 

Afghans and Tunisians also saw sharp increases, with return decisions rising by 27 percent for Afghans and nearly 26 percent for Algerians, while Tunisian cases increased more modestly.

When it comes to actual returns, the picture looks different. More than 34,000 foreign nationals were effectively sent back to their countries of origin during the third quarter. 

Turkish, Georgian, Albanian, Syrian, and Russian citizens made up the largest groups. 

Moroccans ranked seventh, with just over 1,000 people actually returned, a relatively low figure compared to the number of orders issued.

France issued the highest number of departure orders among EU countries, with more than 33,000 decisions, followed by Germany and Greece. 

France, Germany and Greece were responsible for nearly half of all EU return orders during the period. 

Germany also led in actual returns, sending back over 7,000 foreign nationals, or more than 21 percent of all returns, ahead of France and Cyprus.

The data also reveals a sharp rise in orders affecting unaccompanied minors. Around 825 such orders were issued in the third quarter, a jump of more than 67 percent compared to the previous quarter. 

Greece, the Netherlands, and Croatia recorded the highest numbers. Despite this increase, only 60 unaccompanied minors were actually returned, mainly to Turkey and Syria, with smaller numbers sent to Armenia, Albania, and Iraq.