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Albanians and Moroccans lead citizenship gains in 2015–2024; residency remains the main form of gain
In a decade, over 1.6 million people have managed to acquire Italian citizenship, with the two nationalities that top the list being Albanians and Moroccans. According to the 31st Migration Report published by the Fondazione ISMU ETS, over 1.6 million cases of acquisition of citizenship were registered in the period 2015–2024.
After a phase of decline during the years 2017–2021, linked to socio-political and economic factors, the Covid-19 pandemic and changes in the procedures for obtaining citizenship (such as through marriage), since 2022 the annual figure has returned to over 200 thousand cases. The report highlights the contribution of minors and young people under 20 years of age, who in the decade 2015–2024 account for over 620 thousand acquisitions of citizenship. This figure demonstrates the increasing weight of second generations, immigrants or born in Italy, who acquire citizenship through transmission from parents (article 14 of law 91/1992) or by request after reaching adulthood.
The number of resident foreign citizens is increasing
According to estimates by the Fondazione ISMU ETS based on ISTAT data, on 1 January 2025 a total of 5,898,000 foreign nationals lived in Italy, 143 thousand more than a year earlier. Of this total, 5,371,000 are registered residents, accounting for 9.1% of the total resident population. Around 188 thousand are regularly present but not yet registered in the civil registry, while 339 thousand people are considered to be in an irregular situation. The overall increase is mainly related to the increase in the number of residents, while the other categories remain at stable levels.
Albanians and Moroccans at the top of the list
In the distribution by country of origin, Albanians and Moroccans are confirmed as the main communities that have acquired Italian citizenship during the years 2015–2024. Albanians register around 299 thousand citizenship gains, while Moroccans around 243 thousand. Romanians rank third with over 118 thousand new Italian citizens in this period.
A second group with significant volumes includes Brazilians (around 85 thousand), Indians (75 thousand), Bangladeshis (54 thousand), Moldovans (49 thousand), Argentines (over 43 thousand, mainly in the last three years), Egyptians (33 thousand) and Pakistanis (32 thousand). According to the report, this picture confirms the weight of historical communities from the Balkans and North Africa, alongside the growth of communities from Latin America and South Asia.
Residency remains the main form of benefit
In the period 2015–2024, residency is confirmed as the main title for acquiring Italian citizenship. Transmission from parents to minors constitutes the second most important method.
Gains through marriage represent a generally stable trend, while gains by "choice", usually associated with young people born or raised in Italy, remain more limited in number, but show an increase especially in the years 2022–2024.
The ius sanguinis principle, although less widespread in quantitative terms, has seen strong growth since 2022, positioning itself as the third most common form of benefit.
Asylum requests decrease, rejections increase
The trend of asylum applications reflects the dynamics of arrivals to the country. In 2024, around 151,000 applications were submitted, 80.5% of them by men. In 2025, the number fell to 126,630, or 16.2% less compared to the same period a year earlier.
As of December 31, 2025, over 234 thousand applications were still under review, compared to around 207 thousand at the end of 2024.
The main nationalities of male applicants are Bangladesh, Pakistan, Morocco, Egypt and Peru, while among women, origins from Latin America dominate, especially Peru, Colombia and Venezuela.
The report highlights an increase in the percentage of rejections: in the first nine months of 2025, 70.2% of applications were rejected, compared to 64.1% in 2024 and 52% in 2023. For citizens from Bangladesh, Egypt and Tunisia, the rejection rate exceeds 80%.
930 thousand students with non-Italian citizenship
The report estimates that around 930,000 students with non-Italian citizenship attend education from kindergarten to high school. They make up 11.6% of the school population, up from 3.5% twenty years ago. Males make up 51.7% of the total.
Over 60% of students with non-Italian citizenship attend schools in the northern regions (38.3% in the Northwest and 25.7% in the Northeast), followed by the Center (22.1%) and the South.
Lombardy leads with around 236 thousand students (26% of the national total), followed by Emilia-Romagna (112,839), Veneto (94,669), Lazio (80,051) and Piedmont (78,256).
At the provincial level, Milan ranks first with 79,039 students with non-Italian citizenship, followed by Rome (63,782), Turin (39,465) and Brescia (32,747).
Students with non-Italian citizenship come from nearly 200 countries: 43% from Europe (mainly Romania, Albania, Ukraine, Moldova), 32% from Africa (Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Nigeria, Senegal), about 20% from Asia (China, India, Philippines, Pakistan, Bangladesh) and 8.5% from Latin America (Peru, Ecuador).
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