France Deportation Statistics 2026 show 24,985 removals from mainland France in 2025, up 15.7%, including 15,569 forced removals (62%) and 9,416 assisted or spontaneous departures. France issued 137,550 orders to leave in 2025, the most in the EU, but Eurostat counts only 14,940 returns, a return rate of about 10.9% against 53.0% in Germany.
France Deportation 2026 – Introduction
France Deportation Statistics for 2025, published by the Interior Ministry on January 27, 2026, show the highest enforcement totals in at least five years. Mainland France carried out 24,985 removals, a rise of 15.7% from 2024. Forced removals grew 21.1% to 15,569. Algerians, Moroccans and Tunisians made up the three largest nationalities among those removed. Yet the gap between orders and departures stays wide, because France issues far more orders to leave than any other EU country.
The numbers need careful reading. France counts forced removals, assisted returns and spontaneous departures separately, and Eurostat uses a different definition of returns. This report uses Interior Ministry data for the yearly trend and Eurostat for the comparison with Germany, Italy and Spain. Figures for 2025 are provisional, and orders issued in one year are often carried out in another. Each table names its source, and derived percentages are marked as calculations.
Interesting Facts About France Deportation Statistics 2026
FRANCE REMOVALS BY TYPE, 2025 (1 block = 500 removals)
Forced removals | ███████████████████████████████ 15,569
Spontaneous departures | ██████████ 4,852
Assisted returns | █████████ 4,564
All removals | ██████████████████████████████████████████████████ 24,985
| Fact | 2025 Data |
|---|---|
| Total removals from mainland France | 24,985 |
| Change from 2024 | +15.7% |
| Forced removals | 15,569 (+21.1%) |
| Share of removals that were forced | 62% |
| Assisted returns | 4,564 (-0.5%) |
| Orders to leave issued by France (Eurostat) | 137,550 |
| Returns recorded by Eurostat | 14,940 |
| Estimated return rate | About 10.9% |
| Removals from overseas departments | 24,512 |
Source: French Interior Ministry, Direction générale des étrangers en France, Lutte contre l’immigration irrégulière 2025 (January 27, 2026); Eurostat, Enforcement of immigration legislation statistics (May 2026); return rate calculated from Eurostat data.
The table shows a country removing more people each year while most orders stay unexecuted. France carried out 24,985 removals in 2025, of which 15,569, or 62%, were forced. Assisted returns held flat at 4,564, down 0.5%. The rest were spontaneous departures. Eurostat counts 14,940 returns against 137,550 orders, a rate of about 10.9%.
The Interior Ministry reports a separate 24,512 removals from overseas departments in 2025, nearly nine in ten from Mayotte. Those figures do not form part of the 24,985 mainland total. The two datasets also use different rules, so the 14,940 returns Eurostat reports do not equal the 15,569 forced removals the ministry reports. Both are accurate within their own definitions. Readers who compare years should use one source throughout, and the report does so in each table.
Deportations and Voluntary Departures in France by Year 2026: 2021-2025 Trend
TOTAL REMOVALS FROM MAINLAND FRANCE (1 block = 500 removals)
2021 | ███████████████████████████ 13,403
2022 | ███████████████████████████████ 15,400
2023 | ██████████████████████████████████ 17,048
2024 | ███████████████████████████████████████████ 21,601
2025 | ██████████████████████████████████████████████████ 24,985
| Year | Total Removals | Forced | Assisted | Spontaneous (calculated) | Change in Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 13,403 | 10,091 | 1,570 | 1,742 | – |
| 2022 | 15,400 | 11,410 | 2,102 | 1,888 | +14.9% |
| 2023 | 17,048 | 11,722 | 2,832 | 2,494 | +10.7% |
| 2024 | 21,601 | 12,856 | 4,586 | 4,159 | +26.7% |
| 2025 | 24,985 | 15,569 | 4,564 | 4,852 | +15.7% |
Source: French Interior Ministry, Direction générale des étrangers en France, Les chiffres de l’immigration en France, 2025 (January 27, 2026); spontaneous departures calculated as total minus forced minus assisted.
Total removals rose 86% in four years, from 13,403 in 2021 to 24,985 in 2025. The biggest jump came in 2024, at 26.7%. Forced removals grew more slowly than the total, by 54% over four years, from 10,091 to 15,569. Assisted returns almost tripled, from 1,570 to 4,564, and spontaneous departures, which the ministry counts when people leave without help, rose from 1,742 to 4,852.
The pace has not been smooth. Assisted returns jumped 62% in 2024, then slipped 0.5% in 2025, while forced removals jumped 21.1% in 2025. The Senate separately reports that executed expulsions of people judged a threat to public order rose 47% between 2024 and 2025. The 2025 totals are provisional, so final figures may shift slightly when the ministry publishes the full-year data. Forced removals from mainland France to a country of origin made up the larger share, while removals to a different third country shrank in 2025.
Forced Removals Versus Voluntary Returns in France 2026: Share by Type
FORCED REMOVALS AS A SHARE OF ALL REMOVALS (1 block = 2 percentage points)
2021 | ██████████████████████████████████████ 75.3%
2022 | █████████████████████████████████████ 74.1%
2023 | ██████████████████████████████████ 68.8%
2024 | ██████████████████████████████ 59.5%
2025 | ███████████████████████████████ 62.3%
| Year | Forced | Assisted | Spontaneous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 75.3% | 11.7% | 13.0% |
| 2022 | 74.1% | 13.6% | 12.3% |
| 2023 | 68.8% | 16.6% | 14.6% |
| 2024 | 59.5% | 21.2% | 19.3% |
| 2025 | 62.3% | 18.3% | 19.4% |
| Forced removals of third-country nationals to other third countries (2024) | 50.6% | – | – |
| Same measure (2025) | 39.6% | – | – |
| EU-wide voluntary returns, Q4 2025 (Eurostat) | 58.9% | – | – |
Source: French Interior Ministry, DGEF (January 27, 2026); Eurostat via Eunews (March 31, 2026); shares calculated from ministry totals.
Forced removals fell from 75.3% of all removals in 2021 to 62.3% in 2025. The low point was 59.5% in 2024. Assisted returns rose from 11.7% to 18.3%, and spontaneous departures rose from 13.0% to 19.4%. The ministry also reports that forced removals of third-country nationals to a different third country fell to 39.6% of forced removals in 2025, from 50.6% in 2024.
France leans more on force than the EU average. Eurostat found 58.9% of EU returns in the last quarter of 2025 were voluntary and 41.1% forced, while 62.3% of France’s removals were forced. Italy recorded only forced returns. Assisted returns cost less per person and carry fewer legal challenges, which is why the Senate notes a government target of 8,000 assisted departures, and 2,249 were recorded in the first half of 2025.
Returns by Nationality in France 2026: Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia
FRANCE REMOVALS BY NATIONALITY, 2025 (1 block = 100 people)
Algerians | █████████████████████████ 2,500
Moroccans | ████████████████████ 2,000
Tunisians | ████████████████ 1,600
| Nationality | Removals in 2025 | Change From 2024 | Implied 2024 Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 2,500 | -15% | About 2,940 |
| Morocco | 2,000 | +21% | About 1,650 |
| Tunisia | 1,600 | +25% | About 1,280 |
| Three nationalities combined | 6,100 | +4% | About 5,870 |
| EU orders to leave, Algerians (Q4 2025) | 12,455 | – | 10.6% of EU orders |
| EU orders to leave, Moroccans (Q4 2025) | 7,385 | – | 6.3% of EU orders |
| EU orders to leave, Tunisians (Q4 2025) | 3,770 | – | 3.2% of EU orders |
Source: French Interior Ministry via InfoMigrants (January 27, 2026); Eurostat via Eunews (March 31, 2026); implied 2024 levels and combined change calculated from reported percentages.
Three North African nationalities lead the ministry’s data. Algerians were the largest group, at 2,500, but their removals fell 15%. Moroccans rose 21% to 2,000, and Tunisians rose 25% to 1,600. The three groups total 6,100, a 4% rise on an implied 5,870 in 2024. The official release does not publish a full ranking beyond the top three.
Consular cooperation shapes these results. France can only remove someone when the destination country issues a travel document, and the Interior Ministry has long cited refused or delayed documents as a main barrier. At EU level, Algerians received 12,455 orders to leave in the last quarter of 2025, 10.6% of the total, followed by Moroccans at 7,385 and Tunisians at 3,770. Those figures cover all EU states, not France alone. Turkish citizens led EU returns that quarter, with 3,155, followed by Georgians with 2,390 and Syrians with 2,105.
Deportation Orders Issued Versus Executed in France 2026: OQTF Execution Rate
ORDERS ISSUED VERSUS EXECUTED (1 block = 5,000 orders)
2024 OQTF issued | ██████████████████████████ about 130,000
2024 OQTF executed | ███ about 15,000
H1 2025 OQTF issued | ██████████████ 69,888
H1 2025 OQTF executed | █ 7,426
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| OQTF orders issued, 2024 | About 130,000 |
| OQTF orders executed, 2024 | About 15,000 |
| Execution rate, 2024 | About 11.5% |
| OQTF orders issued, first half of 2025 | 69,888 |
| OQTF orders executed, first half of 2025 | 7,426 |
| Execution rate, first half of 2025 | 10.6% |
| OQTF annulled by courts in first instance (2023) | 18% |
| Execution rate for people held in retention centers | About 40% |
| Expulsion orders executed, 2025 (first half) | 42% of 539 |
| Eurostat return rate, 2025 (calculated) | 10.9% |
Source: Assemblée nationale, rapport d’information on removal policy (2025); Sénat, avis sur le projet de loi de finances pour 2026 (Immigration, asile et intégration); Eurostat; execution rates calculated from official counts.
An OQTF is an obligation to leave French territory. France issued about 130,000 in 2024 and carried out about 15,000, an execution rate of roughly 11.5%. In the first half of 2025, the Senate counted 69,888 orders and 7,426 executions, or 10.6%. Courts annulled 18% of orders in first instance in 2023, which removes a share of cases before enforcement can start.
Retention changes the odds. About 40% of OQTF cases involving people placed in administrative retention centers end in a removal, against about 11% overall. Expulsion orders, which target people judged a serious threat to public order, work better: 42% of the 539 issued by June 30, 2025 had been executed. The Senate also reports that executed expulsions rose 47% between 2024 and 2025. Orders and removals do not match one-to-one, because people may leave in a different year. The rate is therefore a rough guide to enforcement strength, not an exact measure of success.
France’s Immigration Enforcement Trends 2026: Retention, Targets and Policy
GROWTH IN REMOVALS, 2021 TO 2025 (1 block = 10 percentage points)
Assisted returns | ███████████████████ +191%
Spontaneous | ██████████████████ +179%
All removals | █████████ +86%
Forced removals | █████ +54%
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Growth in all removals, 2021 to 2025 | +86% |
| Growth in forced removals, 2021 to 2025 | +54% |
| Growth in assisted returns, 2021 to 2025 | +191% |
| Growth in spontaneous departures, 2021 to 2025 | +179% |
| Orders to leave issued by France, Q1 2026 (Eurostat) | 34,880 |
| Assisted departures, first half of 2025 | 2,249 |
| Government target for assisted departures | 8,000 |
| Beneficiaries of assisted-return aid, end of 2025 (estimate) | 7,650 |
| Maximum detention under EU Parliament returns position (March 2026) | 24 months |
Source: French Interior Ministry, DGEF (January 27, 2026); Sénat, PLF 2026 report; Eurostat, Returns of irregular migrants, Q1 2026; European Parliament via Eunews (March 2026); growth rates calculated from ministry data.
Enforcement has grown fastest in the softer categories. Assisted returns are up 191% since 2021 and spontaneous departures are up 179%, against 54% for forced removals. France issued 34,880 orders to leave in the first quarter of 2026, still the most in the EU. The government keeps a target of 8,000 assisted departures, and the Senate estimates 7,650 people held aid benefits at the end of 2025.
The EU is moving toward tougher rules. In March 2026 the European Parliament backed a returns regulation that allows detention for up to 24 months and the use of third-country return hubs. Neighbors face the same pressure, and the UK enforces its own return deal with France. For that side of the Channel, see our report on illegal immigration statistics in the UK. The UK and France also run a bilateral return deal that took effect in August 2025.
France vs Germany, Italy and Spain Deportations 2026: Return Rates Compared
RETURN RATE, RETURNS DIVIDED BY ORDERS, 2025 (1 block = 2 percentage points)
Germany | ███████████████████████████ 53.0%
EU | ██████████████ 27.5%
Italy | ███████████ 22.4%
France | █████ 10.9%
Spain | █████ 10.6%
| Country | Orders to Leave (2025) | Returns (2025) | Return Rate (calculated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 137,550 | 14,940 | 10.9% |
| Germany | 55,240 | 29,295 | 53.0% |
| Spain | 53,700 | 5,705 | 10.6% |
| Italy | 21,295 | 4,780 | 22.4% |
| EU total | 491,950 | 135,460 | 27.5% |
Source: Eurostat, Enforcement of immigration legislation statistics and news releases (March 31 and May 12, 2026); return rates calculated from Eurostat counts. Spain’s returns from Eurostat data reported by Spanish media.
France issued 28.0% of all EU orders to leave in 2025, with 137,550. Across the EU, orders rose 5.8% to 491,950 and returns rose 20.9% to 135,460. Germany issued 55,240 and Spain issued 53,700, Italy 21,295. Germany returned 29,295 people, the highest figure in the EU, for a rate of 53.0%. France returned 14,940, Spain 5,705 and Italy 4,780. France and Spain both sit near 11%, Italy at 22.4%, and the EU as a whole at 27.5%.
Rates are rough because orders and returns cover different people and years. Italy reports all returns as forced, according to Eurostat. Spain’s returns fell about 35%, from 8,725 in 2024 to 5,705 in 2025, as reported from Eurostat data. Spain’s National Police also carried out 3,398 expulsions in 2025, separate from Eurostat’s returns count. For the Spanish side in more detail, see our report on illegal immigration statistics in Spain. Germany also issues far fewer orders than France, so its rate compares returns with a smaller base. France’s returns rose only 1.6%, from 14,700 in 2024 to 14,940, while orders rose 7.5% from 128,000.
France Deportation FAQ 2026
How many people did France deport in 2025?
France carried out 24,985 removals from mainland France in 2025, up 15.7% from 2024. 15,569 were forced removals.
How many forced removals did France carry out in 2025?
15,569, up 21.1% from 12,856 in 2024. That is 62% of all removals.
What is the difference between forced and voluntary returns in France?
Forced removals are carried out by police. Assisted returns include financial help, and spontaneous departures are counted when people leave without help. The ministry counted 4,564 assisted and 4,852 spontaneous departures in 2025.
Which nationalities are removed most from France?
Algerians (2,500), Moroccans (2,000) and Tunisians (1,600) were the top three in 2025, according to the Interior Ministry.
What is an OQTF?
An obligation to leave French territory. France issued about 130,000 in 2024, and about 11.5% were executed.
What is France’s deportation execution rate?
Roughly 10% to 11%. Eurostat data for 2025 gives 10.9% (14,940 returns against 137,550 orders). The rate differs by method, since orders and removals do not cover the same people.
Why are so few OQTF executed in France?
Court annulments (18% in first instance in 2023), missing travel documents from origin countries, absconding and limited detention space all play a part. Retention centers raise the rate to about 40%.
How does France compare with Germany on deportations?
Germany returned 29,295 people in 2025 from 55,240 orders, a rate of 53.0%. France returned 14,940 from 137,550 orders.
How many orders to leave did France issue compared with Spain and Italy?
137,550 for France, 53,700 for Spain and 21,295 for Italy. France accounts for 28.0% of EU orders.
How does the EU as a whole compare with France on returns?
EU states issued 491,950 orders and recorded 135,460 returns in 2025, a rate of 27.5%. France’s rate is less than half that. Germany returned 29,295 people, France 14,940 and Sweden 11,250.
How many returns did Spain and Italy record in 2025?
Spain recorded 5,705 returns from 53,700 orders, about 10.6%. Italy recorded 4,780 from 21,295 orders, about 22.4%.
What happened in France in the last quarter of 2025?
France issued 34,040 orders to leave and recorded 3,800 returns to third countries, according to Eurostat. Germany recorded 7,690 returns that quarter.
How many people did the UK remove compared with France?
The UK recorded about 37,900 returns and deportations in 2025, against 24,985 removals from mainland France. Definitions differ, so the totals are not strictly comparable. For the UK picture, see our report on UK British immigration statistics.
How much of the French removal total is voluntary?
About 38%. In 2025, 4,564 returns were assisted and 4,852 were spontaneous, together 9,416 of 24,985 removals.
Are France’s deportations rising in 2026?
The trend through 2025 is upward, with total removals up 86% since 2021. France issued 34,880 orders in the first quarter of 2026, still the most in the EU.
How many removals come from France’s overseas territories?
24,512 in 2025, nearly nine in ten from Mayotte. Those figures are counted separately from the mainland total.
Disclaimer: The data research report we present here is based on information found from various sources. We are not liable for any financial loss, errors, or damages of any kind that may result from the use of the information herein. We acknowledge that though we try to report accurately, we cannot verify the absolute facts of everything that has been represented.
