3.5 million first residence permits in 2024

In 2024, 3.5 million first residence permits were issued in the EU to non-EU citizens, an 8.3% decline (-315 700) compared with 2023, the year with the highest number recorded to date.

Employment was the main reason for issuing residence permits in 2024, accounting for 31.9% (1.1 million) of all first residence permits issued, indicating a tangible decrease compared with 2023 (-12.2%; -155 500).

Family reasons accounted for 27.1% (950 600) of all permits, reflecting a 6.5% drop (-65 800) compared with 2023. Other reasons, including international protection, made up a little more than a quarter of the share (25.3%; 886 300), with a 10.0% fall (-98 900). Education reasons factored in for 15.7% (549 400) of all first residence permits, representing the only overall increase of 0.8% (+4 500).

This information comes from data on first residence permits published by Eurostat. The article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained article on first residence permits issued during the year.

Source dataset: migr_resfirst

Ukrainian citizens received highest number of residence permits

In 2024, the highest number of first residence permits was issued to citizens of Ukraine (295 600), followed by India (192 400) and Morocco (188 400).

Source dataset: migr_resfirst

When looking at the top 10 countries of citizenship of those granted residence permits, employment was the most frequent reason for nationals of Ukraine (72.5%), Belarus (55.2%), and India (43.9%). Other reasons, including international protection, dominated for citizens of Afghanistan (85.4%), Syria (79%) and Bangladesh (40.8%). Family reasons accounted for the largest share of permits for nationals of Morocco (46.6%), Colombia (44.8%) and Türkiye (35.4%), while the largest share for nationals of China was educational reasons (34.1%).