countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Palestine, Eritrea and Somalia, thereby confirming this unlawful practice: Main countries of origin in returns & deportation orders: 2023 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 Pakistan Albania Syria Iraq Georgia Return (Return Directive) Afghanistan Somalia Palestine Eritrea Egypt Deportation (derogation) Source: Ministry of Citizen Protection, Reply to parliamentary question, 16 Apr 2024 Greece carried out a total of 6,340 returns and deportations last year. Of those, 2,706 were voluntary returns supported by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), 742 were voluntary departures within a set deadline under a return decision, and 2,892 were forced removals: Main countries of removal by category: 2023 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 Albania Georgia Pakistan Bulgaria Romania Bangladesh India Iraq Turkiye Egypt Forced Voluntary departure Voluntary return Source: Ministry of Citizen Protection, Reply to parliamentary question, 16 Apr 2024 These official figures demonstrate that the overwhelming majority – more than ¾ of the total – of returns and deportations executed in 2023 exclusively concern nationals of Albania (2,488) and Georgia (2,309) who do not figure in the data on arrivals from Evros, RSA POLICY NOTE │ IMMIGRATION DETENTION | MAY 2024 4