Far fewer foreigners becoming Danish

Number of people handed citizenship has quartered in just 15 years

The number of foreigners obtaining Danish citizenship has plummeted over the past 15 years, according to figures from national statistics keeper Dansk Statistik.

The figures showed that 4,500 foreigners received a Danish citizenship last year – down considerably from the 19,323 people who acquired it back in 2000.

“There could be many reasons for the fall, but one of the main reasons is probably how it has become much more difficult to become a Danish citizen since 2002,” said Eva Ersbøll, a researcher from the human rights institute Institut for Menneskerettigheder.

“The current government has toughened them up again. But now there is the possibility to have dual citizenship, which will get more people to apply.”

READ MORE: Living in an Expat World: Citizenship – are you Danish enough?

More residency permits
While the number of citizenships handed out has fallen drastically, the number of people from abroad who have been granted a residency permit has more than doubled from 34,881 in 2000 to 72,342 last year.

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