Immigration detention statistics in Greece in 2024: Systematic deportation and detention orders against refugees
Immigration detention statistics in Greece in 2024: This note analyses official statistics on return, deportation and immigration detention in Greece in 2024, made available by the Greek authorities in response to parliamentary questions.
The figures confirm for yet another year a persisting arbitrary practice of systematic use of deportation and immigration detention against refugees and migrants, even for countries where returns are neither permissible nor feasible in practice such as Syria and Afghanistan.
Main figures
Returns & deportations
31,629 Hellenic Police decisions: 12,390 return decisions (Return Directive) and 19,239 deportation decisions (derogation from the Directive). Main nationalities are by far Afghanistan (7,095) and Syria (6,011)
5,865 returns of third-country nationals, of which 4,330 concern nationals of Albania and Georgia, not represented in arrivals via Evros, Central and Eastern Mediterranean
Review of return & deportation orders
306 decisions challenged through an administrative appeal to the Hellenic Police (0.97%)
3.2% approval rate in appeals before the Hellenic Police
Immigration detention
29,233 detention orders: 7,608 in return procedures (Return Directive), 19,148 in deportation procedures (derogation from the Directive) and 2,477 in the asylum process (Reception Conditions Directive)
99.5% detention rate in deportation procedures
61.4% detention rate in return procedures
Judicial review of detention
4,130 orders challenged through objections in administrative courts (14.1%)
42.2% approval rate in objections before administrative courts
0.96% rate of detention orders quashed in ex officio review by the same courts based on the same provisions
Detention conditions
1,463 people detained in pre-removal centres at the end of 2024, of whom 557 in Amygdaleza and 289 in Paranesti. Main countries include Egypt (487 detainees) and Pakistan (350 detainees)
163 people detained in police stations at the end of 2024
Below, we present a selection of key statistical data on administration detention in Greece in 2024, drawn from the full content of the note.
Return procedures
The Hellenic Police issued a total of 31,629 removal orders from the Greek territory over the past year, up from 29,869 in 2023.
We continue to stress that police authorities systematically circumvent EU law by indiscriminately issuing deportation decisions against newly arrived people who seek asylum and thereby have a right to remain in Greece. Data show that the main countries of origin of persons subject to deportation orders in derogation from the Return Directive were by far Afghanistan and Syria, even though the overwhelming majority of nationals of those countries who apply for asylum are recognised as refugees.
Throughout the past year, Greece carried out a total of 5,865 returns and deportations. This represents a decrease from 6,340 in 2023, despite a higher number of return and deportation orders.
Out of the 5,865 removals carried out last year, 2,550 were forced removals, 944 were voluntary departures within a set deadline under a return decision, and 2,371 were voluntary returns supported by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM):
Official statistics demonstrate that the vast majority of returns and deportations – nearly ¾ of the total – carried out in 2024 solely concern nationals of Albania (2,165) and Georgia (2,165), not represented in the data on arrivals via Evros, the Central and Eastern Mediterranean. Most returns were forced in the case of Albania, while in the case of Georgia most were voluntary and implemented through IOM.
Resort to immigration detention
The Hellenic Police took 29,233 detention orders in 2024.
Official figures for 2024 show that Greece continued to impose pre-removal detention in removal proceedings and not as a measure of last resort, as required by international, EU and domestic law. 99.5% of deportation orders were accompanied by detention, as opposed to 61.4% of return orders under L 3907/2011 transposing the Return Directive.
The main nationalities of people subjected to immigration detention in 2024 were Afghanistan (7,012) and Syria (5,724). The figures raise severe concerns as to the legality and purpose of Greece’s recourse to deprivation of liberty:
Pre-removal detention may only be imposed where there is a reasonable prospect of removal from the Greek territory, among other conditions. Yet, in the case of people originating from countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, Eritrea, Palestine, Yemen or Sudan, pre-removal detention was used without any removal prospect either to the country of origin or to Türkiye. We recall that the percentage of positive Asylum Service decisions remain extremely high and exceed 99% for several of the above countries.
Judicial review of detention
4,130 objections against detention were lodged in 2024, corresponding to 14.1% of the total number of detention orders. This means that less than one out of five detention orders were challenged before the courts. The aforementioned barriers to access to the administrative appeal against return and deportation decisions, coupled with the persisting complete absence of free legal assistance, undermine access to this remedy.
42.2% of objections against detention examined on the merits by the administrative courts were granted in 2024.
For yet another year, sharp disparities persisted between judicial review of detention in objections and ex officio judicial review of extensions of detention orders based on domestic asylum and return legislation, even though these concern the very same provisions and are carried out by the same courts. These figures demonstrate enduring, manifest discrepancies in the operation of existing mechanisms for judicial review of the legality of detention. The administrative courts quashed 42.2% of detention orders brought before them through objections but found less than 1% of orders they reviewed ex officio to be unlawful.
There is therefore a pressing need for free legal assistance in line with EU law and with the assurances of the Greek government, with a view to ensuring fair and effective review of detention. Greek authorities, however, have yet to introduce a free legal assistance scheme for persons held in immigration detention.
Detention conditions
1,626 people were in immigration detention at the end of 2024 – a slight decrease compared to the previous year. Of those, 1,463 were detained in six pre-removal detention centres and 163 in police stations throughout Greece:
Egypt (487) was the main country of origin of people detained at the end of last year, mainly in Paranesti (185) and Amygdaleza (142). The second main country of origin was Pakistan (350), whose nationals were mainly held in Corinth (156) and Amygdaleza (126). Türkiye and Afghanistan are among the top five countries of origin of people in immigration detention at the end of 2024.
Data provided in reply to parliamentary questions refer to deployment of Health Units SA (Ανώνυμη Εταιρία Μονάδων Υγείας, AEMY) personnel in the pre-removal detention centres at the end of 2024 as follows:
These figures reflect constant shortages in health care for people held in immigration detention. For instance, no doctor was present in Xanthi, where almost 200 people were detained, while Paranesti had one doctor for almost 300 people.
