In 2024, nearly 1.2 million people acquired the citizenship of the EU country where they lived, an increase of 11.6% (+122 700 people) compared with 2023. The number of citizenships granted jumped by 54.5% compared with 2014, when a total of 762 100 were attributed.
The majority of these new citizenships were granted by Germany (288 700; 24.5% of the EU total), Spain (252 500; 21.4%) and Italy (217 400; 18.5%).
Most recipients (88.0%) were from non-EU countries, while citizens from other EU countries accounted for 10.6%.
This information comes from data on the acquisition of citizenship published by Eurostat today. This article presents just a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained article.
Syrians, Moroccans and Albanians top three recipients
In 2024, as in the year before, Syrian nationals were the largest group of new EU citizens, with 110,100 new citizenships granted. Moroccan nationals were the second largest group, with 97,100 granted citizenships, followed by Albanians (48,000).
Source dataset: migr_acq
Sweden recorded the highest naturalisation rate in 2024
The naturalization rate indicates the number of persons acquiring citizenship in a country during a year, relative to the total number of non-national residents at the beginning of the year.
In 2024, Sweden recorded the highest naturalisation rate among EU countries, with 7.5 citizenships granted per 100 non-national residents, followed by Italy (4.1) and Spain and the Netherlands (each 3.9). At the other end of the scale, the lowest naturalisation rates per 100 non-national residents were recorded in Lithuania (0.1), Bulgaria and Estonia (each 0.3).
Source dataset: migr_acqs
For more information
- Statistics Explained article on the acquisition of citizenship statistics
- Thematic section on international migration and citizenship
- Database on migration and citizenship
- Migration and asylum in Europe – 2025 interactive publication
- Demography of Europe – 2025 edition
Methodological notes
- This news article concerns the acquisition of citizenship by the usual resident population of EU countries. Usual residence means the place where a person normally spends the daily period of rest, regardless of temporary absences for purposes of recreation, holidays, visits to friends and relatives, business, medical treatment or religious pilgrimage.
- Citizenship is the legal bond between an individual and a state, acquired by birth, naturalisation, or other means according to national legislation. Naturalisation is the process by which a state grants its citizenship through a formal act on the application of the individual concerned. Another way of granting citizenship may include granting it to spouses, adopted minors, and descendants returning to their ancestral country.
- The naturalisation rate should be interpreted with caution, as the numerator includes all acquisition methods and not solely the naturalisation of eligible residing non-nationals, and the denominator includes all non-nationals, not just those eligible for naturalisation.
- The acquisitions of citizenship by group of previous citizenship include citizens of other EU countries, of non-EU countries, stateless and of unknown previous citizenship.