First permits issued for education reasons by reason, length of validity and citizenship by country
Countries reporting
41
Highest
190,346
United Kingdom
Lowest
26
Liechtenstein
Median
8,095
Years covered
18
2008–2025
Data points
724
What the numbers show
First permits issued for education reasons by reason, length of validity and citizenship is currently reported for 41 countries. The highest value is 190,346 in United Kingdom; the lowest is 26 in Liechtenstein.
The median across all reporting countries is 8,095, and the mean is 25,782.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 7,321.
Over the past decade 29 countries rose and 12 fell. The largest increase was in Lithuania (up 804.3%), and the largest decrease in Estonia (down 58.6%).
First permits issued for education reasons by reason, length: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Kingdom | 190,346 | 2018 | down 14.5% | falling |
| 1 | United Kingdom | 190,346 | 2018 | down 14.5% | falling |
| 3 | France | 118,404 | 2025 | up 68.5% | rising |
| 4 | Germany | 112,500 | 2025 | up 574.3% | rising |
| 5 | Spain | 105,419 | 2025 | up 218.5% | volatile |
| 6 | Italy | 36,358 | 2025 | up 59.0% | falling |
| 7 | Ireland | 34,729 | 2025 | up 57.3% | rising |
| 8 | Poland | 21,974 | 2025 | down 44.1% | rising |
| 8 | Poland | 21,974 | 2025 | down 44.1% | rising |
| 10 | Hungary | 21,424 | 2025 | up 264.6% | volatile |
| 11 | Netherlands | 20,809 | 2025 | up 36.3% | rising |
| 11 | Netherlands | 20,809 | 2025 | up 36.3% | rising |
| 13 | Denmark | 18,291 | 2025 | up 97.9% | rising |
| 14 | Switzerland | 12,796 | 2025 | up 26.9% | rising |
| 15 | Sweden | 12,518 | 2025 | up 39.5% | rising |
| 16 | Portugal | 11,389 | 2025 | up 262.8% | volatile |
| 17 | Belgium | 11,066 | 2025 | up 74.4% | rising |
| 18 | Finland | 10,528 | 2025 | up 76.7% | rising |
| 19 | Czechia | 9,991 | 2025 | down 26.8% | rising |
| 20 | Cyprus | 9,401 | 2025 | up 322.3% | volatile |
| 21 | Malta | 8,095 | 2025 | up 245.1% | volatile |
| 22 | Austria | 7,190 | 2025 | up 1.8% | rising |
| 23 | Lithuania | 6,719 | 2025 | up 804.3% | volatile |
| 24 | Slovakia | 5,845 | 2025 | up 296.3% | volatile |
| 24 | Slovakia | 5,845 | 2025 | up 296.3% | volatile |
| 26 | Romania | 5,474 | 2025 | up 25.1% | rising |
| 27 | Lithuania | 4,621 | 2025 | up 521.9% | volatile |
| 28 | Norway | 3,634 | 2025 | down 11.9% | rising |
| 29 | Slovenia | 3,068 | 2025 | up 133.3% | volatile |
| 29 | Slovenia | 3,068 | 2025 | up 133.3% | volatile |
| 31 | Latvia | 2,981 | 2025 | up 166.9% | volatile |
| 31 | Latvia | 2,981 | 2025 | up 166.9% | volatile |
| 33 | Bulgaria | 2,470 | 2025 | up 182.6% | rising |
| 34 | Luxembourg | 842 | 2025 | up 90.5% | volatile |
| 35 | Greece | 808 | 2025 | down 7.2% | falling |
| 36 | Iceland | 754 | 2025 | up 96.4% | rising |
| 37 | Estonia | 408 | 2025 | down 58.6% | volatile |
| 37 | Estonia | 408 | 2025 | down 58.6% | volatile |
| 39 | Croatia | 380 | 2025 | down 1.8% | falling |
| 39 | Croatia | 380 | 2025 | down 1.8% | falling |
| 41 | Liechtenstein | 26 | 2025 | down 39.5% | falling |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.