(*We updated these calculations on May 21, 2026. The revised figures differ slightly from those previously published: Sweden’s effective return rate was previously reported as 77%, and the EU average as 34%. These are minor revisions, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused.)
Data from Eurostat shows that Sweden ranks among the countries with the highest effective return rates for non-EU citizens ordered to leave the European Union. Here, the effective return rate is calculated by dividing Indicator 1 “Third-country nationals returned following an order to leave”, by Indicator 2 “Third-country nationals ordered to leave”.
Here is how we calculated the figures for the EU and Sweden for 2025: The number of third-country nationals who returned to a third country outside the EU following an order to leave was 155,110 for the EU as a whole, and 13,990 for Sweden. The total number of third-country nationals who were ordered to leave was 491,950 for the EU as a whole, and 18,340 for Sweden. To calculate the effective return rate, we divide the number of third-country nationals returned following an order to leave by the number of third-country nationals ordered to leave.
- Sweden: 13,990 / 18,340 = 76% *
- EU as a whole: 155,110 / 491,950 = 32% *
Data caveat: Persons who left the territory within a given year may have been subject to an obligation to leave in a previous year. Therefore, the number of persons who actually left the territory in a given year may exceed the number of persons who were ordered to leave during that same year.
The graph below presents calculations based on annual Eurostat data, available here.
Data source and definitions
The underlying data can be downloaded as an Excel file from this Eurostat page: Eurostat – Enforcement of immigration legislation statistics, under the section “Source data for tables and graphs”. Below are excerpts from the metadata indicator definitions on Eurostat’s metadata page
Indicator 1 definition: Third-country nationals returned following an order to leave
Third-country nationals who have in fact left the territory of the Member State following an administrative or judicial decision or act stating that their stay is illegal and imposing an obligation to leave the territory. These data do not include persons transferred from one Member State to another under the mechanism established by the Dublin Regulation.
Indicator 2 definition: Third-country nationals ordered to leave
Third-country nationals found to be illegally present who are subject to an administrative or judicial decision or act stating that their stay is illegal and imposing an obligation to leave the territory of the Member State. These statistics do not include persons transferred from one Member State to another under the mechanism established by the Dublin Regulation.