Acquisitions of citizenship on the rise in 2009

This publication presents the latest available data on acquisition of citizenship in the European Union and EFTA countries. Acquisition of citizenship is often viewed as a key indicator of successful integration in the receiving country, as it usually implies a good knowledge of the country's language, culture and society, together with some level of contribution to economic activity in general.

The number of people acquiring citizenship in a EU Member State rose by 11% in 2009, after two consecutive years of slight decline. The total number of acquisitions recorded in the EU in 2009 was about 776,000. The highest number of acquisitions was recorded in the United Kingdom, France and Germany. These three countries accounted for more than 55% of the EU total. As in most recent years, Moroccans and Turks were the main groups who became citizens of an EU Member State with 8% and 7% of the EU total respectively.