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Cyprus saw a decline in the pace at which foreign residents became citizens in 2024, based on newly released figures from Eurostat. The data shows that 2,800 people were granted Cypriot nationality during the year, fewer than the 3,318 recorded in 2023.
This drop is also reflected in the country’s naturalisation rate, which fell to 1.21 per 100 non-Cypriot residents, down from 1.51 the previous year. This rate measures how many foreign residents obtain citizenship compared to the total non-national population at the start of the year.
Across the European Union, the overall trend moved in the opposite direction. Around 1.2 million people obtained citizenship in their country of residence in 2024, marking an increase of 11.6% compared to 2023. Over a longer period, the rise is even more pronounced, with citizenship grants up by more than half compared to 2014 levels.
The largest shares of new EU citizens were recorded in Germany, Spain, and Italy, which together accounted for a significant portion of all naturalisations. Most of those gaining citizenship, about 88%, originated from countries outside the EU, while a smaller share came from within the bloc.
Looking at nationalities, Syrians formed the biggest group of new citizens across the EU in 2024, followed by Moroccans and Albanians.
There were also notable differences in naturalisation rates between countries. Sweden led the EU with the highest rate, followed by Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands. In contrast, Lithuania, along with Bulgaria and Estonia, recorded the lowest rates, highlighting a wide variation in how frequently countries grant citizenship to foreign residents.
