29% of new EU citizens come from Africa, 24% from Asia, 22% from European countries not in the EU, 15% from North and South America, 1% from Australia and Oceania. Another 8% are citizens of one EU country who changed citizenship within the European Union. In 2009, 204 thousand people became citizens of the United Kingdom, 136 thousand of France, and 96 thousand of Germany.
In relation to the total number of foreigners permanently residing in the country, the largest number of new citizens occurred in Portugal (5.8 per 100 foreigners), followed by Poland and the United Kingdom (4.8 each). The lowest rates were in Lithuania and Slovakia (0.5 each) and the Czech Republic (0.3). The average for the EU is 2.4.
In relation to the total population, the largest number of new citizens occurred in Luxembourg (8.1 per 1000 citizens), Switzerland (5.6), the United Kingdom (3.3), and Sweden (3.2). In Germany, this figure was 1.2, below the EU average (1.7).
In a breakdown by leading EU countries, among all new passport holders, the largest ethnic groups were: in the United Kingdom, Indians and Pakistanis (13% and 10% respectively); in France, Moroccans and Algerians (19% and 15%); in Germany, Turks (26%), Iraqis (5.3%), Serbs (4.3%), and Poles (4.0%).
As noted by «Русская Германия», most new Europeans arrived in 2009 from Morocco (59.9 thousand people), followed by Turkey (51.9 thousand), India (31.1 thousand), Ecuador (27.8 thousand), and Albania (26.7 thousand).