Europe Issues Record Residence Permits as Molise Keeps Losing People

European Union countries issued 3.9 million new residence permits to non-EU citizens in 2025, a ten percent increase on 2024 and the highest level since records began, according to data reported by The Local Italy. The figure covers permits granted for work, family reunion, study and protection, and it is the third consecutive annual rise.

The same reporting notes that the distribution across member states is uneven, with a handful of countries absorbing the largest share of new permits. That concentration is the part worth watching from southern Italy, where the demographic arithmetic runs in the opposite direction.