Moroccans Won the Most Italian Residence Permits in 2025, Data Shows

Moroccan nationals received more first residence permits in Italy in 2025 than citizens of any other non-EU country, Italy's National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) said on Thursday. Italy granted 44,549 first permits to Moroccans, a 72.8% rise from the previous year, returning Morocco to the top of the ranking.

Key facts

• 44,549 first residence permits went to Moroccan nationals in 2025, up 72.8% and the highest total of any non-EU nationality.
• Italy issued 426,956 new residence permits in total, up 47.2% from 290,119 in 2024.
• Family reunification permits for Moroccans led all nationalities with 23,467, while work permits numbered 10,575.
• Asylum claim refusals reached 90.2% for Moroccan applicants, the highest rate among the groups cited.
• Moroccans ranked second for Italian citizenship with 23,386 new citizens, or 13.1% of the total.
• Morocco remained the largest non-EU community holding valid permits at the end of 2025.

Which nationalities received the most permits?

Bangladesh followed Morocco with 39,807 new permits, an increase of 41.9%. Egypt placed third with 32,235 permits, up 59.4%, while Albania slipped one position to fourth with 31,777, a more modest 30.1% rise.

India posted the sharpest growth of any group at 78.8%, reaching 30,227 permits and overtaking Pakistan for fifth place.

What kinds of permits did Moroccans receive?

Family reunification drove Morocco's position. Moroccans led every nationality for family-related permits with 23,467, ahead of Albanians at 21,131, Egyptians at 12,622, Pakistanis at 10,026 and Indians at 9,635. For Albania and Morocco, described as the two oldest-established communities in Italy, family permits accounted for more than half of all new documents issued during the year.

Work permits produced a different order. Morocco ranked second behind India, with 10,575 permits, or 17.9% of the total, against India's 13,783. Seasonal work dominated for both: it made up 59.3% of Morocco's work-related entries and 58.8% of India's. Among women entering Italy for work, Moroccans placed second with 1,176 permits, behind the United States and ahead of the Philippines, India and Tunisia. Study participation was weaker, with Moroccan women accounting for 38.8% of study entries across the ten largest nationalities.

What were the asylum outcomes?

Italy's territorial commissions for international protection rejected about two-thirds of first-instance claims overall. The refusal rate was 90.2% for Moroccan applicants, the highest among the groups cited, followed by Sri Lanka at 89% and Bangladesh at 88.7%.

Asylum applications moved the other way, falling 15.1% to 128,665 from 151,120 in 2024. The commissions examined 104,560 first-instance cases and rejected 70% of them.

What about Italian citizenship?

Moroccans ranked second among those who became Italian citizens in 2025, with 23,386 new citizens, or 13.1% of the total, behind Albanians at 25,725, or 14.4%. For every 100 Moroccans holding a residence permit, a further 72 people of Moroccan origin had already become Italian citizens, a ratio second only to Albania's.

For both communities, more than 80% of acquisitions came through long residence and transmission to minor children. Marriage-based acquisitions, up 7.5% from 2024, mainly involved women of Albanian and Moroccan origin. By the end of 2025, more than 4 million non-EU citizens held valid residence permits in Italy, and just above 178,000 non-EU nationals acquired Italian citizenship during the year.

Where were the permits issued?

The flows were concentrated geographically. Lombardy received 23.0% of all new permits, or 98,128 documents, well ahead of Emilia-Romagna with 9.1%, or 38,789. Overall growth was strongest in family reunification, up 61.2%, and study, up 76.0%. Work permits rose 45.9%, and 83.2% of them went to men.

ISTAT described the national total as the highest in fifteen years, behind only the 2022 peak linked to the arrival of refugees from Ukraine. The stock of valid permits grew 5.8% over the year, from 3,810,741 to 4,030,016, and Morocco remained the largest single non-EU community holding valid permits at the end of 2025, ahead of Albania and China.

Are any entry rules changing?

ISTAT's release covers statistics on permits and citizenship for 2025 and does not announce any changes to visa, entry or residence rules. No new application procedures, fees or deadlines are included in the figures.