Moroccan citizens hold more valid residence permits in the European Union than any other non-EU nationality, according to the latest data released by Eurostat, the European statistical office.
At the end of last year, more than 2.23 million Moroccans were legally residing in EU member states with valid residence permits, placing them ahead of Turkish and Ukrainian nationals, who ranked second and third respectively.
The number of Moroccans holding EU residence permits rose from 2.02 million in 2021 to 2.07 million in 2022, 2.08 million in 2023, and more than 2.16 million by the end of 2024, before reaching the latest total exceeding 2.23 million. Overall, approximately 27.8 million third-country nationals held valid residence permits across the EU at the end of the period covered by the data.
Germany hosted the largest number of such residents (nearly 6 million), followed by France (around 4.4 million), and Spain and Italy (approximately 4.3 million each).
Family reasons accounted for more than 32 percent of all valid residence permits issued to non-EU citizens, followed by employment (22.3 percent), asylum and subsidiary protection (14.7 percent), and education (about 4.7 percent).
Spain remains the primary destination for Moroccan residents in Europe, issuing more than 42% of all valid residence permits held by Moroccan nationals.
By comparison, French authorities issued 81.8% of permits held by Algerians, while Germany accounted for 68.7% of those held by Syrians.
