Citizenship, more than a third of new Italians reside abroad
Istat data for 2024 record the effect of the avalanche of recognition of descendants of emigrants to South America on the basis of ius sanguinis
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More than a third of those who became Italian citizens in 2024 reside abroad. Last year, 340,297 foreigners acquired Italian citizenship; of these, 126,299 are resident abroad.
This is the effect of the avalanche of recognition of citizenship iure sanguinis to the descendants of Italians who emigrated overseas, particularly to South America. The new Italians by descent were in fact 140,735, of whom the vast majority - 113,221 - reside abroad.
This is the finding of ISTAT, which, with a sweeping survey of all Italian municipalities, has for the first time recorded not only the acquisitions of citizenship by residents in Italy, but also those obtained by residents abroad through consular and judicial procedures, then transcribed by municipal offices.
The data show that the number of citizenships iure sanguinis has far exceeded those by residence: the latter numbered 90,709 in 2024, making it the second most common channel for acquiring citizenship (the focus, moreover, of the fifth question in the referendum on 8 and 9 June).
The primacy of ius sanguinis is destined to last despite the tightening introduced by Decree-Law 36/2025 . The decree has greatly limited the automatic recognition that, under the old rules, was granted without generational limits, but the applications submitted before the crackdown (the watershed date is 27 March) are so many that in the coming years the number of iure sanguinis recognitions should remain similar to that of 2024. The General Council of Italians Abroad then mobilised against the new rules, which brought its cry of alarm to the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, who opened up the possibility of "reconsidering" them.
