Cyprus recorded a naturalisation rate of 1.21 per 100 non-Cypriot residents in 2024, down from the rate recorded in 2023 (1.51 per 100), according to data published by Eurostat on Friday. In total, 2,800 people acquired Cypriot citizenship in 2024, compared with 3,318 in 2023.

It is noted that the naturalisation rate indicates the share of individuals who acquired Cypriot citizenship relative to the total number of non-Cypriot residents at the beginning of the year.

According to the same data, nearly 1.2 million people acquired the citizenship of the EU country where they lived in 2024, an increase of 11.6% (122,700 people) compared with 2023. The number of citizenship granted increased by 54.5% compared with 2014, when a total of 762,100 citizenship were granted.

The majority of the new citizens were from Germany (288,700; 24.5% of the EU total), Spain (252,500; 21.4%), and Italy (217,400; 18.5%). Most recipients (88.0%) came from non-EU countries, while citizens from other Member States accounted for 10.6%.

The top three groups of new citizens in 2024 were Syrians, Moroccans, and Albanians. Syrians were the largest group, with 110,100 citizenship granted, followed by Moroccans with 97,100, and Albanians with 48,000.

Regarding naturalisation rates, Sweden recorded the highest rate in the EU in 2024, with 7.5 citizenship granted per 100 non-national residents, followed by Italy (4.1) and Spain and the Netherlands (3.9 each). At the other end of the scale, the lowest rates were recorded in Lithuania (0.1), Bulgaria, and Estonia (0.3 each).

Source: Parikiaki.com