Morocco Surges to Third in EU Residency Race, Outpacing Global Rivals

According to the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat), 3.5 million first residence permits were granted last year to third-country nationals, a decrease of 8.3% (-315,700) compared to 2023, the year that recorded the highest level to date. Among the nationalities on the podium are Moroccans. With 188,400 residence permits, Morocco is the third largest beneficiary of residence permits in the EU, behind Ukraine (295,600) and India (192,400). Algeria is not included in the ranking of the 10 main beneficiary nationalities.

For Moroccans, the main reason for issuance remains family reunification: 46.6% of all permits issued to Moroccans. Spain is the main destination, as it has granted 49.3% of these permits. The Iberian Peninsula is also the country that issued the largest number of residence permits last year. It is followed by Germany, Poland, Italy and France. Together they account for around 65.1% of the total permits. On the other hand, some countries have experienced a sharp drop in the number of permits, such as Estonia, Malta and Poland. Greece and Cyprus have recorded a strong increase.