Belgium deported 233 Moroccan nationals from its prisons during the first eight months of 2026, the largest number among the nationalities covered by the country’s prison-related returns, according to Belgian news agency Belga.
The figure was followed by about 195 Albanian nationals and 138 Algerians, according to data from Belgian Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt cited by Belga.
A total of 1,239 people were forcibly returned to their countries of origin during the first eight months of the year after serving prison sentences in Belgium, setting a record for the country, according to the agency.
The figure surpassed the previous record of 1,112 returns recorded during the same period in 2017. Belgium deported 991 people in 2025 and 828 in 2024.
The returns involved people who did not hold valid residence documents and had served their sentences, or almost all of their sentences, in Belgian prisons.
Van Bossuyt attributed the increase to a government priority on returns, cooperation with Belgium’s Justice Department and increased investment in personnel and capacity.
She also said Morocco facilitates the return of its nationals under agreements with Belgium that are regularly renewed.
Belgian Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden visited Morocco in June to discuss judicial cooperation with Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi.
Verlinden’s office said transferring convicted Moroccan nationals to Morocco to serve their sentences was a priority. It added that about one in 10 prisoners in Belgium is of Moroccan nationality.
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