First permits by reason, length of validity and citizenship by country
Countries reporting
32
Highest
635,438
Spain
Lowest
857
Liechtenstein
Median
50,422
Years covered
18
2008–2025
Data points
568
What the numbers show
First permits by reason, length of validity and citizenship is currently reported for 32 countries. The highest value is 635,438 in Spain; the lowest is 857 in Liechtenstein.
The median across all reporting countries is 50,422, and the mean is 135,584.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 741.
Over the past decade 27 countries rose and 5 fell. The largest increase was in Croatia (up 1,384.5%), and the largest decrease in Sweden (down 44.7%).
First permits by reason, length of validity and citizenship: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 635,438 | 2025 | up 229.4% | rising |
| 2 | Germany | 605,292 | 2025 | up 210.7% | volatile |
| 3 | Poland | 467,314 | 2025 | down 13.7% | volatile |
| 4 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 450,775 | 2018 | down 28.8% | falling |
| 5 | Italy | 433,099 | 2025 | up 142.1% | falling |
| 6 | France | 377,462 | 2025 | up 65.1% | rising |
| 7 | Portugal | 310,639 | 2025 | up 970.4% | volatile |
| 8 | Netherlands | 120,161 | 2025 | up 38.6% | rising |
| 9 | Hungary | 81,834 | 2025 | up 294.4% | volatile |
| 10 | Belgium | 73,667 | 2025 | up 40.1% | rising |
| 11 | Ireland | 72,978 | 2025 | up 89.9% | rising |
| 12 | Greece | 69,786 | 2025 | up 86.3% | rising |
| 13 | Sweden | 61,196 | 2025 | down 44.7% | falling |
| 14 | Romania | 57,111 | 2024 | up 454.8% | volatile |
| 15 | Austria | 55,486 | 2025 | up 8.2% | rising |
| 16 | Croatia | 50,963 | 2025 | up 1,384.5% | volatile |
| 17 | Denmark | 49,882 | 2025 | up 8.1% | rising |
| 18 | Czechia | 47,526 | 2025 | down 30.9% | rising |
| 19 | Switzerland | 46,272 | 2025 | up 12.6% | rising |
| 20 | Cyprus | 45,907 | 2025 | up 194.9% | rising |
| 21 | Finland | 44,591 | 2025 | up 95.0% | rising |
| 22 | Malta | 32,693 | 2025 | up 227.5% | volatile |
| 23 | Slovenia | 25,329 | 2025 | up 121.9% | rising |
| 24 | Norway | 25,197 | 2025 | down 17.9% | falling |
| 25 | Slovakia | 23,686 | 2025 | up 155.3% | volatile |
| 26 | Bulgaria | 23,577 | 2025 | up 145.7% | volatile |
| 27 | Lithuania | 23,499 | 2025 | up 353.8% | volatile |
| 28 | Latvia | 9,073 | 2025 | up 42.7% | rising |
| 29 | Luxembourg | 8,963 | 2025 | up 82.2% | rising |
| 30 | Estonia | 5,228 | 2025 | up 31.2% | rising |
| 31 | Iceland | 3,220 | 2024 | up 226.9% | volatile |
| 32 | Liechtenstein | 857 | 2025 | up 6.1% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) 3.50 million
- European Union - 28 countries (2013-2020) 3.24 million