Ireland tops EU list for granting citizenship

Ireland has the highest rate of granting citizenship to foreign nationals of any country in the EU.

Data has highlighted how Ireland granted 5.3 citizenships per 1,000 resident population in 2013 — the latest year for which comparative data is available.

It represents a rate almost three times the EU average of 1.9 citizenships per 1,000 inhabitants. Other countries with high rates of granting citizenship were Sweden, Spain, and Luxembourg.