REVEALED: Number of residency permits issued in Europe reaches record high

European Union countries issued 3.9 million new residence permits to non-EU citizens in 2025. This represents a 10 percent increase compared to 2024 and the highest level since records began.

The same information was reported by multiple outlets, including The Local France, The Local Spain, and The Local Germany.

In a separate development, Europe's skies experienced a record number of flights during the summer holiday period from July to August, according to Eurocontrol data. The continent saw an average of 35,959 flights a day, a 2.4 percent increase on 2025, with a record 37,640 flights on Friday 10 July. Despite disruptions caused by the Middle East war, 72.6 percent of flights arrived on time, up 1.2 percentage points on 2025.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Local France, The Local Spain, The Local Germany, Euronews — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.