Nearly a million Britons hold EU residence permits, Eurostat data shows
Eurostat reports that almost 920,000 UK citizens possessed residence permits in EU member states at the end of 2025, making them the seventh-largest non-EU group.
According to Eurostat, close to 920,000 British citizens held residence permits across EU countries at the close of 2025, placing them as the seventh-largest group of non-EU nationals after Moroccans, Turks, Ukrainians, Chinese, Syrians and Indians. Spain hosted the biggest share with 409,000 permits, followed by France (172,000) and the Netherlands (92,000), together representing about 75% of the total. Germany, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Austria and other states also hosted British permit holders, though in much smaller numbers.
Employment-related permits accounted for roughly 10% of the total, while family-based permits made up about 7%. The dominant share, around 80%, fell under an "other reasons" category that covers retirees, diplomats, protected persons and permits issued under the EU-UK withdrawal agreement. Eurostat has been tracking these figures since 2021, after the end of free movement post-Brexit.
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Why it matters
The data highlights the scale of British migration to the EU and the lasting impact of Brexit on residency patterns.
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