Top 10 EU countries that issue the most residence permits

Valerie Charoux
1 day ago
2 min read

EU Residency News – Here is the ranking of the Top 10 EU countries that issued the most single residence permits in 2024, according to a Eurostat report published on January 27th 2026:

More than 4.6 million single residence permits were issued in the EU in 2024. The number of single permits issued has risen for two consecutive years, reaching 4,607,257 in 2024. This was the highest number recorded, representing an increase of 13.6 % compared with 2023 with 4,056,150 single permits issued and 28.0 % compared with 2022 with 3,598,032 single permits issued.

Top 10 EU countries that issue the most single residence permits:

1 – Portugal

Portugal ranks No. 1 EU country that issued the most single residence permits with 1,214,086 residency permits issued in 2024, that is 26.4% of the total number of single residence permits issued, according to Eurostat.

2 – France

France ranks 2^nd EU country that issued the most single residence permits with 993,247 residency permits issued in 2024, that is 21.6% of the total number of single residence permits issued, according to Eurostat.

3 – Spain

Spain ranks 3^rd EU country that issued the most single residence permits with 644,194 residency permits issued in 2024, that is 14% of the total number of single residence permits issued, according to Eurostat.

4 – Italy

Italy ranks 4^th EU country that issued the most single residence permits with 284,087 residency permits issued in 2024, that is 6.2% of the total number of single residence permits issued, according to Eurostat.

5 – Croatia

Croatia ranks 5^th country that issued the most single residence permits with 197,891 residency permits issued in 2024, that is 4.3% of the total number of single residence permits issued, according to Eurostat.

6 – Poland

Poland ranks 6^th country that issued the most single residence permits with 181,338 residency permits issued in 2024, that is 3.9% of the total number of single residence permits issued, according to Eurostat.

7 – Sweden

Sweden ranks 7^th country that issued the most single residence permits with 114,282 residency permits issued in 2024, that is 2.5% of the total number of single residence permits issued, according to Eurostat.

8 – Romania

Romania ranks 8^th country that issued the most single residence permits with 116,328 residency permits issued in 2024, that is 2.5% of the total number of single residence permits issued, according to Eurostat.

9 – Austria

Austria ranks 9^th country that issued the most single residence permits with 108,786 residency permits issued in 2024, that is 2.4% of the total number of single residence permits issued, according to Eurostat.

10 – Finland

Finland ranks 10^th country that issued the most single residence permits with 108,682 residency permits issued in 2024, that is 2.4% of the total number of single residence permits issued, according to Eurostat.