Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – A total of 3,698 Moroccans obtained Belgian nationality in 2021, topping the list of foreigners who received the European country’s citizenship last year.
According to figures published on Thursday by Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, around 39,233 people obtained Belgian nationality in 2021, while 42 lost it.
The top five nationalities of origin who obtained the European country’s nationality, including Moroccans, were Syrians (3,385), Romanians (1.968), Iraqis (1,891), and Afghans (1,460).
The number of Moroccans who obtained Belgian nationality last year dropped by 1.5% compared to 2020, when 3,756 Moroccans received Belgian citizenship.
During the first three months of 2022, 1,388 Moroccans obtained Belgian nationality, Statbel indicated.
The Moroccan diaspora residing in Belgium makes up more than 80,000 people, representing the European country’s largest non-European community and fifth-largest foreign population.
Read also: Moroccans Abroad Decry Rising Prices for Sea Travel
According to Belgian Minister of Economy and Labor Pierre-Yves Dermagne, “the Moroccan community established in Belgium represents nearly 5% of the population,” including Belgians of Moroccan origin.
In addition, Moroccans make up the majority of non-EU workers in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, followed by Turkish workers.
Over the last decades, Belgium, one of the smaller countries in Europe, has become a permanent country of residence for many migrants, including asylum seekers. Migrants constitute around 16.5% of the Belgian population.
This trend is to benefit the Belgian economy as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) states that “migrants contribute more in taxes and social contributions than they receive in benefits.”
Moroccans also topped the list of foreigners who obtained Spanish citizenship in 2021, with over 42,000, ahead of Colombians (8,328), Ecuadorians (8,325), and Bolivians (8,311).
