Albania ranks among the leading European (non-EU) countries for the number of minors who receive their first residence permits in European Union countries.
According to Eurostat data, during 2024, 18,697 Albanian children under the age of 18 received their first residence permit in one of the EU countries, placing Albania in third place in Europe for this category after Ukraine and Belarus.
The migration of Albanian minors to the EU is concentrated almost entirely in three countries:
Italy – 8,254 permits (44.1%)
Greece – 4,877 permits (26.1%)
Germany – 4,165 permits (22.3%)
Other EU countries – only 1,401 permits (7.5%)
Eurostat data show that the dominant reason for issuing first residence permits to minors in the EU remains family reunification, which is closely linked to the large Albanian communities in Italy and Greece. These two countries have traditionally been the main destinations of Albanian immigration since the 1990s, continuing to attract new waves of family migration.
Meanwhile, Germany has become in recent years an important destination for both adult employment and the settlement of young families.
In Europe
In 2024, EU countries issued 540,445 first residence permits to non-EU citizens under the age of 18.
Of these, 356,554 permits (66%) were granted for reasons related to family reunification and formation. 160,618 permits (30%) were issued for other reasons, including international protection, while 21,179 (4%) were granted for reasons related to education.
The countries that issued the highest number of permits to minors were Germany with 138,692 permits (26% of the EU total), followed by Spain with 107,828 permits (20%) and Italy with 60,125 permits (11%).
In relative terms, the ratio of first permits per 100,000 inhabitants under 18 was highest in Malta (3,379), Cyprus (2,584) and Luxembourg (1,861). In Latvia, Croatia, Estonia, Bulgaria and Romania this ratio was below 200 per 100,000 children.
It should be noted that France, which has the lowest rate of only 17 permits per 100,000 minors, does not usually issue residence permits for children.
Looking at the nationality of minors who received first residence permits in the EU for all reasons, 37% were citizens of Asian countries, 27% non-EU Europeans, 21% from African countries, 11% from the Caribbean, Central and South America, while 2% were citizens of North America.
Syria accounted for 12% of the total first permits issued to minors in the EU, followed by Morocco with 7% and Ukraine with 6%./Monitor.al/
