EUROSTAT's Latest Citizenship Acquisition Data: Trends and Insights
- Nicholas Zhang
- Apr 3
- 4 min read
Eurostat, the EU’s authoritative data collection and publication agency, annually releases detailed statistics on citizenship grants across member states. These datasets categorize naturalized citizens by age, gender, and country of origin, providing a robust foundation for analyzing EU citizenship trends and the underlying socioeconomic and political dynamics.
According to the latest data released on 19 February 2025, EU member states granted citizenship to over 1.1 million individuals in 2023, reflecting a 6.1% increase compared to 2022 figures.
Acquisitions of citizenship Analysis
Spain, Italy, Germany, France, and Sweden were the top countries granting citizenship in 2023. Spain saw the largest increase (+58,600 naturalizations compared to 2022), followed by Germany (+33,200) and Belgium (+6,700). In contrast, Sweden (-24,400), France (-17,200), and Portugal (-3,800) experienced declines. These variations may reflect differing socioeconomic conditions, including disparities in economic growth, job market accessibility, social welfare policies, and recent migration reforms across these nations.
In 2023, Ireland, Estonia, Spain, and Poland recorded the largest increases in citizenship grants compared to 2022, while Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Denmark saw the sharpest declines.
Meanwhile, 78% of all EU naturalizations were concentrated in five countries: Spain (22.9%), Italy (20.3%), Germany (19.0%), France (9.3%), and Sweden (6.5%)."
Analysis of Main Countries of Origin
In 2023, Syrians, Moroccans, and Albanians were the top three groups acquiring EU citizenship. Among all Syrians naturalized in the EU, 70.2% obtained citizenship in Germany. Similarly, Moroccans constituted 50.7% of Spain’s total citizenship grants, while Albanians accounted for 71.5% of naturalizations in Italy. These trends align with national immigration policies, including Germany’s refugee resettlement programs and Spain’s bilateral ties with Morocco.
Age and Gender Analysis
In 2023, the median age of newly naturalized EU citizens was 31, with a youth-dominated demographic: 38.0% under 25, 42.8% aged 25-44, and 19.3% 45 or older (totaling 100.1% due to rounding). National differences were striking—in Greece, 50% of new citizens were under 21, while Croatia had the highest median age (40.4). Women outnumbered men in naturalizations across most EU countries, except seven (including Germany and Sweden). Croatia showed the highest female proportion (62.2%).
Pathways to EU Citizenship Acquisition
Annual global demand for EU citizenship ranges from hundreds of thousands to millions, with five established acquisition pathways:
1. Citizenship by Descent (Jus Sanguinis)
Available in countries like Ireland and Italy for those with verifiable EU citizen ancestry (parents/grandparents).
2. Citizenship by Marriage
Many EU countries grant citizenship to those who marry EU citizens. Typically, applicants must meet requirements like marriage duration, language proficiency, and residency. For instance, spouses of Maltese citizens can apply after five years of marriage.
3. Citizenship by Long-Term Residence
All EU countries grant citizenship after prolonged legal residency, though requirements vary:
● Residency duration: 5–15 years (country-dependent);
● Criteria: Clean criminal record, financial stability, and language proficiency.
4. Citizenship by Investment
Malta remains the sole EU member with a legislated, direct citizenship-by-investment program. Key steps:
● Investment requirements: Government donation + 5-year property investment;
● Process: Hold residency for 12 months &After approval, to apply for citizenship;
● Timeline: 16–18 months for the entire family to secure EU citizenship.
5. Citizenship by Refugee or Asylum Status
Some EU countries permit refugees with asylum to apply for citizenship under specific conditions, usually requiring several years of subsequent legal residence.
Conventional EU naturalization pathways—whether through residency, marriage, or ancestry—typically impose 5–15 years of stringent residency obligations, bureaucratic complexity, and vulnerability to evolving immigration policies. For high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), these protracted timelines compound critical vulnerabilities: escalating exposure to regulatory uncertainty and mounting opportunity costs from deferred global mobility. Malta’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program dismantles these constraints through a legislated mechanism—transforming EU citizenship from a high-risk, multi-decade endeavor into a strategically predictable process. Accounting for less than 3% of EU naturalizations, it has become the de facto standard for HNWIs prioritizing sovereignty over uncertainty.
Expedited EU Citizenship: The Malta CBI Advantage
While conventional EU naturalization often requires 5-15 years of residency, Malta's Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program delivers EU passports in just 18 months—the fastest lawful pathway. For HNWIs, this efficiency mitigates two critical risks:
Regulatory uncertainty: Prolonged processes increase exposure to policy changes
Opportunity cost: Delayed citizenship restricts global mobility planning
Why Malta CBI Dominates HNWI Demand
Despite representing <3% of EU naturalizations, Malta's program offers unique benefits:
● Fast-track EU Citizenship: Malta requires just 1.5 years to grant citizenship, with passports heritable across generations. Descendants gain unconditional eligibility for Maltese (EU) citizenship.
● EU benefits: As EU citizens, individuals hold unrestricted rights across all 27 EU member states and freedom of movement within the broader EU/EFTA zone (encompassing Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein). Maltese citizenship grants the legal entitlement to live, work, study, or retire in these nations, with access to full social benefits and equal rights identical to those of native citizens.
● Global Mobility: The Maltese passport ranks among the top ten globally, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to nearly 190 countries and territories, including major destinations like the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. It is the only direct citizenship-by-investment program with visa-free access to the United States.
Despite the unique advantages of the Malta Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program, it has faced ongoing pressure from the European Commission and repeated risks of termination. With the gradual depletion of its 1,500 global quota for citizenship grants, the program is expected to face a complete shutdown by 2025, after which the EU will no longer host any citizenship-by-investment schemes offering direct citizenship grants. At this stage, prospective applicants are strongly advised to act promptly.
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