EU Citizenship Grants Hit Record High: Nearly 1.2 Million Passports Issued in 2024

In 2024, the number of citizenships granted in the European Union reached a record level. According to Eurostat data, almost 1.2 million people received EU citizenship—an 11.6% increase compared to the previous year.

The leaders in the number of issued passports were Germany (288,700), Spain (252,500), and Italy (217,400). These three countries accounted for more than half of all new citizens in the European Union. The vast majority of new citizens originated from countries outside the EU (around 88%). Among them, Syrians (110,100), Moroccans (97,100), and Albanians (48,000) received citizenship most frequently.

In Germany, people from Syria and Turkey predominate; in Spain, the majority are from Latin America and Morocco; and in Italy, migrants from Albania and Morocco lead the figures.

Naturalisation rates—calculated as the number of naturalised persons relative to the size of the resident foreign population—vary across EU countries. Sweden emerged as the leader in this regard, where 7.5% of the foreign population received citizenship. In Italy, this figure was 4.1%, and in Spain, it was 3.9%. At the same time, rates in the Baltic states and Eastern Europe remain relatively low, at less than 0.5%.