The number of foreign nationals granted Irish citizenship in 2024 rose by 32% to more than 24,000, marking the highest annual figure in the past decade.
New data from the European Commission shows that 24,059 people became Irish citizens in 2024 — an increase of nearly 5,800 compared to the previous year, reports RTE.
The previous peak in Ireland was recorded in 2014, when 21,104 citizenships were granted.
The largest groups of new Irish citizens in 2024 were originally from India (3,946), followed by Brazil (1,708), the UK (1,541), Romania (1,354), and Nigeria (1,235), reports RTE.
Other countries with significant numbers included the Philippines, Poland, China, Pakistan and South Africa.
The figures also indicate that 19% of those granted citizenship — almost 4,500 people — came from other EU countries, particularly Romania, Poland and Latvia, reports RTE.
Although Ireland saw a substantial rise in citizenship numbers, several countries such as Denmark, Slovakia and Germany recorded even larger proportional increases.
Ireland ranked fifth in the EU for citizenships granted per capita in 2024, with 4.5 per 1,000 people, compared to the EU average of 2.4, reports RTE.
Countries with higher per capita rates included Luxembourg (8.8), Sweden (6.0), Spain (5.2), and Belgium (5.1).
The naturalisation rate in Ireland reached 2.9 per 100 non-national residents in 2024 — the highest level in a decade, reports RTE.
This placed Ireland eighth in the EU, slightly above the overall EU average of 2.7.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan announced last November that the Government had approved new measures on migration, including a requirement that citizenship applicants be financially self-sufficient and not reliant on social welfare payments in the two years prior to applying, reports RTE.
Mr O’Callaghan said the proposed change to the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 is intended “to align more closely with the practice in many other EU member states”, reports RTE.
“My intention here is not to bar anybody who has ever received a welfare payment from the State, but I think it is reasonable to expect that a person seeking to become a citizen has contributed to the country. There will be welfare payments that will not, and should not, affect a person’s ability to apply and be granted citizenship,” he added, reports RTE.
Earlier this month, Minister of State for Migration Colm Brophy said the median processing time for citizenship applications has dropped to about eight months, compared to 24 months in 2021, despite rising demand.
“I expect that, going forward, most applicants will receive a decision within one year, although this cannot be guaranteed in the case of every individual application,” he said, reports RTE.
He added that around 31,000 decisions on applications were made by the Department of Justice across 2024 and 2025.
The minister also highlighted reforms aimed at speeding up the process, including the introduction of online applications, digital payments and e-vetting systems, reports RTE.
Applicants typically must have five years of reckonable residence in Ireland before applying, while spouses of Irish citizens require three years.
In all cases, applicants must have continuous residence in Ireland for the 12 months prior to applying, although absences of up to 70 days are permitted for travel, reports RTE.
Across the EU, nearly 1.2 million people were granted citizenship in the country where they resided in 2024, representing a 12% increase of 122,700.
Increases were recorded in 20 of the 27 EU member states, including Ireland, reports RTE.
Germany granted the highest number of citizenships at 288,700, followed by Spain with 252,500 and Italy with 217,400.
However, several countries — including Romania, Sweden, Hungary and Estonia — saw notable declines, reports RTE.
Almost 90% of new EU citizens came from outside the bloc, with Syrians forming the largest group at 110,100, followed by Moroccans (97,100) and Albanians (48,000).
Other countries with large numbers gaining EU citizenship included Turkey, Venezuela, Ukraine, India, Russia and Brazil, reports RTE.
Sweden recorded the highest naturalisation rate at 7.5 per 100 non-national residents, followed by Italy (4.1) and both Spain and the Netherlands at 3.9.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.
