Moroccans, Largest Group Acquiring EU citizenship in 2016- Eurostat

Moroccans were the largest group acquiring the citizenship of an EU member state in 2016, said the EU statistics office, Eurostat.

In total, 101,300 Moroccans received the citizenship of a EU country, of whom 89% acquired citizenship of Spain, Italy (34,8%) or France (17,5%).

Albanians were ranked second with 67,500, of whom 97% acquired citizenship of Italy or Greece, followed by Indians (41,700, almost 60% acquired British citizenship), Pakistanis (32,900, more than half acquired British citizenship), Turks (32,800, almost half acquired German citizenship), Romanians (29,700, 44 per cent acquired Italian citizenship), and Ukrainians (24,000, 60% acquired the citizenship of Germany, Romania, Portugal or Italy).

Moroccans, Albanians, Indians, Pakistanis, Turks, Romanians, and Ukrainians represented together about a third (33 per cent) of the total number of people who acquired citizenship of an EU member state in 2016.

Romanians (29,700) and Poles (19,800) were the two largest groups of EU citizens acquiring citizenship of another EU member state.