In 2012, more than 800,000 persons acquired citizenship of an EU28 Member State, up by four percent compared to 2011, according to Statistical Office of the European Communities Eurostat.
Three quarters of 818,000 people acquired citizenship of one of the six EU Member States. The highest number, 193,900 people, were granted UK citizenship, followed by Germany that granted citizenship to 114,600 persons. France granted 96,100 passports, Spain welcomed 94,100 people, Italy 65,400, whereas Sweden approved 50,200 citizenship requests.
At EU28 level, 86,5 percent of people granted a citizenship were non-EU citizens. Morocco is the first on the list of new EU citizens, with 59,300 people of which more than 50 percent acquired citizenship of France or Italy, followed by Turkey with 53,800 of which 62 percent were granted German passport. India holds the third place with 36,900 people of which 77 percent were granted UK citizenship, followed by Ecuador with 28,900 persons (94 percent obtained Spanish citizenship), and Iraq with 27,500 people of which 61 percent are now legally residing in Sweden.
Moroccans, Turks, Indians, Ecuadorians and Iraqis represented together 25 percent of the total number of persons that acquired EU citizenship in 2012.
Among the EU28 citizens who requested a citizenship of another EU Member State, most numerous were Romanians (25,200), followed by Poles (12,800) and Italians (7,900).
More than third of those who applied for an EU citizenship in 2012, were under 25 years of age (35,3 percent).
Full Eurostat statement
