Golden Visa Statistics 2026

Portugal issued a record 4,987 golden visas in 2024 (up 72% year-on-year), Greece received 9,289 applications backed by 2.32 billion euros of real estate investment, Spain shut its program on 3 April 2025 after 14,576 lifetime issuances, the UAE granted 158,000 golden visas in Dubai alone in 2023, and Malta's MEIN program pulled in 199 million euros in 2024 before the European Court of Justice struck it down in April 2025. Henley & Partners now ranks Greece first in the world for residence-by-investment. This report compiles 13 sourced data points from Henley & Partners, AIMA Portugal, the Greek Ministry of Migration, the Spanish Council of Ministers, the GDRFA Dubai, the Investment Migration Council, USCIS, and the Irish Department of Justice for the 2026 golden visa landscape.

The golden visa map looks nothing like it did three years ago. Portugal removed real estate routes in October 2023, Ireland closed its Immigrant Investor Programme in February 2023, Spain killed its real estate golden visa in April 2025, and the European Court of Justice ruled Malta's citizenship-by-investment scheme illegal in April 2025. Greece tripled its top-tier threshold, the UAE liberalised its property rules, Italy's investor visa grew at a 62% CAGR, and US EB-5 applications hit record volumes. Investment migration is consolidating, not disappearing.

This post pulls figures from primary government sources where possible (AIMA, Greek Ministry of Migration, GDRFA Dubai, USCIS, the Irish Department of Justice, Spanish Official Gazette) and from industry primary sources (Henley & Partners, Investment Migration Council, IMI Daily) where governments do not publish granular data.

TL;DR: Top 5 headline stats for 2026

Portugal issued a record 4,987 golden visas (main applicants plus dependents) in 2024, a 72% increase year-on-year, with the United States overtaking China as the leading source nationality (IMI Daily, 2025).
Greece received 9,289 golden visa applications in 2024 backed by at least 2.32 billion euros of real estate investment, a national record (GTP Headlines, citing Greek Ministry of Migration, 2025).
Spain ended its golden visa on 3 April 2025, three months after Congress published the abolition law, terminating a scheme that had issued 14,576 real-estate-linked permits between 2014 and 2023 (Fragomen legal alert, 2025).
Dubai alone issued approximately 158,000 UAE golden visas in 2023, double the 79,617 issued in 2022 and more than triple the 47,150 issued in 2021 (IMI Daily, 2024).
Malta's MEIN program drew 199 million euros of capital inflows in 2024 from 409 eligibility applications, then was effectively terminated by the European Court of Justice on 29 April 2025 (IMI Daily, 2025).

Why these numbers matter in 2026

The simplest read of the 2024 and 2025 data is that European golden visas are being repriced and rationed while demand from US, UK, Turkish, and Indian applicants surges. Portugal removed real estate. Spain abolished its program outright. Greece raised the urban threshold from 250,000 to 800,000 euros. Malta lost its citizenship route under EU law. The contraction is in the destinations that historically absorbed the most capital.

The expansion is elsewhere. The UAE doubled its annual issuance, Italy's investor visa grew at a 62% compound annual rate, and the US EB-5 program hit a record 12,055 issuances in fiscal year 2024. The total investment migration industry is now estimated at roughly 20 billion US dollars per year by the Investment Migration Council and the Council on Foreign Relations. The era of cheap European real-estate routes is over; funds, donations, and non-EU residency routes have replaced them.

1. Portugal issued 4,987 golden visas in 2024, a 72% jump

Portugal's golden visa, formally the Autorizacao de Residencia para Investimento (ARI), reached a single-year record in 2024 with 4,987 approvals counting both main applicants and dependents, according to figures published by AIMA (Agencia para a Integracao, Migracoes e Asilo) and reported by IMI Daily citing Bloomberg. That is a 72% increase on 2023 and surpasses the previous record of 4,029 set in 2017, the peak year for the real estate route before the October 2023 Mais Habitacao reforms removed property as a qualifying investment.

Of the 2024 total, AIMA records show roughly 2,081 main-applicant residence permits and 2,909 family-reunification permits attached to existing investors. The United States overtook China as the leading source nationality for new approvals in 2024. The program now runs almost entirely through investment funds (500,000 euros), scientific research, cultural projects, and job creation since the real estate route closed.

Source: IMI Daily - Portugal's Golden Visa Surges 72% (2025)

2. Portugal's golden visa has attracted 7.3 billion euros and 17,700 main applicants since 2012

According to Global Citizen Solutions, which aggregates AIMA's monthly statistical bulletins, Portugal's golden visa has generated approximately 7.3 billion euros in foreign investment and 17,700 main-applicant residence permits since its launch in October 2012, with more than 37,000 total beneficiaries when family members are included. The program's lifetime approval rate is reported at 98.5%.

The lifetime nationality leaderboard is dominated by China (the largest historical source by main applicants), the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Turkey. In 2023, US nationals received 567 permits, Chinese 306, British 234, Brazilian 219, and Indian 199, the first year in which the US topped the annual league table. The shift away from Chinese demand and toward US, UK, and Brazilian demand is the structural story since 2022.

Source: Global Citizen Solutions - Portugal Golden Visa Statistics

3. Greece received 9,289 golden visa applications in 2024

Greece's Ministry of Migration and Asylum recorded 9,289 golden visa applications in 2024, up from 8,477 in 2023, alongside 4,536 residence permits granted (versus 4,231 in 2023). Real estate investment behind the 2024 applications totaled at least 2.32 billion euros. Pending applications reached 12,087 by year-end as processing capacity lagged demand.

The surge was front-loaded by a deadline effect. Effective from 1 September 2024, Greece raised the minimum investment from 250,000 euros to 800,000 euros in high-demand zones (Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini) and 400,000 euros in other regions. Investors rushed to file before the new thresholds applied. The 250,000-euro tier survives only for commercial-to-residential conversions. The result is a record application year inside a tightening regime.

Source: GTP Headlines - Golden Visa Applications in Greece Reach Record High (2025)

4. Chinese investors hold 47.9% of all approved Greek golden visas

Greek government data published in early 2025 shows Chinese nationals hold 9,926 active Greek golden visa approvals, representing 47.9% of all permits ever issued, up 53.7% from the 2024 figure. Chinese demand accounted for 64.4% of pending applications by late 2024, meaning the dominance is set to grow further before alternate-nationality flows reach steady state.

The next-largest source nationalities are Turkey, Israel, Iran, and the United States, with US application share rising sharply from a small base. Turkish demand has accelerated following Turkey's own currency volatility and capital-control regime. The geographic concentration of permits inside Athens, Thessaloniki, and the islands explains why the Greek government tightened thresholds in those exact areas: the program had become a housing-cost driver in core urban markets.

Source: Schengen Visa Info, citing Greek Ministry of Migration (2025)

5. Spain's golden visa ended on 3 April 2025

Spain's residence-by-investment scheme, launched under Law 14/2013, was abolished by amendment published in the Official Gazette in early January 2025 and ceased on 3 April 2025 under the law's three-month transitional clause. The Sanchez government argued the real estate route was fueling housing inflation in Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, and Valencia. Applications filed before the cut-off date are still being processed; existing golden visas remain renewable indefinitely.

Between the program's 2014 launch and the end of 2023, Spain issued 14,576 real-estate-linked golden visas, with annual issuances of 2,017 in 2022, 3,273 in 2023, and 780 in the first ten months of 2024 as filings front-loaded ahead of the rumored shutdown. Chinese nationals received 2,712 visas (more than 50% of cumulative beneficiaries), followed by Russians (1,159), Iranians (203), Americans (179), and British nationals (177). Spain becomes the largest EU country to end its golden visa outright.

Source: Fragomen - Spain Golden Visa Program to be Eliminated (2025)

6. The UAE issued approximately 158,000 golden visas in Dubai in 2023

The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) Dubai issued approximately 158,000 UAE golden visas in 2023, roughly double the 79,617 issued in 2022 and more than triple the 47,150 issued in 2021. The numbers cover Dubai-issued visas only; emirate-level figures from Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Ras Al Khaimah push the national total higher.

The 10-year UAE golden visa is granted to property investors (now 2 million AED in real estate, with the previous 1 million AED minimum down-payment requirement removed in early 2024), high-skilled professionals, scientists, doctors, students with top academic records, and individuals with humanitarian distinction. Russians, Indians, and Pakistanis lead the recipient list. The UAE simultaneously became the world's top destination for migrating millionaires, projected to gain +9,800 high-net-worth individuals on net in 2025, per the Henley Private Wealth Migration Report 2025.

Source: IMI Daily - UAE Golden Visa Approval Volume Doubles to 158,000 in 2023 (2024)

7. Italy's investor visa grew at a 62.6% compound annual rate

Italy's Investor Visa, launched in 2017 and managed by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT), is the EU's smallest golden visa by volume but its fastest-growing. Applications climbed from 7 in 2018 to 128 in 2024, with cumulative applications reaching 209 by December 2025. The compound annual growth rate from 2018 to 2025 sits at approximately 62.6%.

The 2024 growth rate moderated to 6.7%, then 2025 rebounded with 63.3% expansion. Most applicants pursue the 500,000-euro share investment in an Italian limited company or the 250,000-euro startup route, both far smaller than Portugal's or Greece's thresholds. The main inflows come from US, Canadian, UK, and Turkish HNWIs reallocating after Portugal's real estate ban and Greece's tier-A increase.

Source: IMI Daily - Italy Golden Visa Applications Double in Two Years (2025)

8. Malta's MEIN drew 199 million euros in 2024 before EU court shutdown

Malta's Granting of Citizenship for Exceptional Services by Direct Investment (MEIN), the citizenship route replacing the earlier Individual Investor Programme, recorded 409 eligibility applications in 2024 (up 37% from 299 in 2023) and 199 million euros in total capital inflows (a 73% jump from 115 million euros in 2023). Of that, 166 million euros came through contributions and 13 million euros through real estate. Community Malta Agency approved 183 citizenship applications, naturalizing 179 main applicants plus 362 dependents.

On 29 April 2025, the European Court of Justice ruled that the MEIN violates EU law on the basis that selling EU citizenship breaches the principle of sincere cooperation. The judgment effectively terminated the program. Existing Maltese passports issued through MEIN remain valid; no new applications are accepted. Malta becomes the second EU jurisdiction (after Cyprus in 2020) to lose its citizenship-by-investment route under EU pressure.

Source: IMI Daily - Malta's MEIN Inflows Surge 73% in 2024 (2025)

9. Ireland's IIP closed in 2023 after attracting 1.252 billion euros

Ireland's Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) closed to new applications on 15 February 2023, with the Department of Justice citing OECD and EU concerns about residence-by-investment schemes. At closure, the IIP had approved investment of approximately 1.252 billion euros and left around 1,500 pending applications representing further potential investment.

Post-closure processing continued. Between 2023 and the first half of 2025, the department approved 1,002 IIP applications and rejected or recorded the withdrawal of 890 others. 2024 was a post-closure record year, with 538 approvals and 314.3 million euros of approved investment flowing into Irish businesses and charities. The bulk of historical and pending IIP applicants are Chinese nationals. Ireland now offers no equivalent residence-by-investment route, although the Start-up Entrepreneur Programme remains.

Source: Irish Government - Minister Harris announces closure of the Immigrant Investor Programme (2023)

10. The US EB-5 program hit a record 12,055 visas in fiscal year 2024

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Immigrant Investor Program Office processed over 13,000 EB-5 petitions in fiscal year 2024 (a 150% increase over FY2023), and US consulates issued approximately 12,055 EB-5 immigrant visas through 30 September 2024, the highest annual total in the program's history. Total EB-5 capital contribution to the US economy exceeded 3 billion US dollars in FY2024.

The minimum investment for EB-5 is 1.05 million US dollars, reduced to 800,000 US dollars in Targeted Employment Areas (rural or high-unemployment), with a 10-job creation requirement. Chinese investors and dependents accounted for roughly 69% of EB-5 issuances, with Vietnamese (12%) and Indian (6%) applicants next. Pending I-526 petitions fell from 15,000 in 2022 to 9,971 by the end of FY2024, the first sustained backlog reduction since the 2022 EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act overhaul.

Source: Paperfree, citing USCIS data (2025)

11. Greece is now ranked the world's #1 residence-by-investment program

Henley & Partners' 2025 Global Residence Program Index ranks Greece first in the world with a score of 73/100, dethroning Portugal which had held the top spot for nine consecutive years. Switzerland (72), Portugal (70, tied with Italy and the UK), and Australia, Canada, and Spain (each 69, tied) round out the top tier. The index analyses 26 residence programs against 10 weighted criteria including reputation, processing speed, total cost, and quality of life.

The reshuffling reflects Portugal's loss of its real estate route, Spain's program closure, and Greece's combination of mature legal infrastructure, EU passport access after seven years, and (despite the threshold rise) a still-accessible 250,000-euro commercial-conversion route. Henley's parallel data shows US nationals accounted for 23% of all applications processed by Henley & Partners in 2024, a more than 1,000% increase versus 2019, and UK applications rose 57% year-on-year in 2024.

Source: Henley & Partners - Investment Migration Programs Report 2025

12. The global investment migration industry is worth roughly 20 billion US dollars per year

The Council on Foreign Relations, drawing on Investment Migration Council and Henley & Partners estimates, puts the global investment migration industry at approximately 22 billion US dollars per year, covering government contributions, real estate purchases, fund subscriptions, fees, and intermediary services across more than 100 residency-by-investment programs and roughly 22 citizenship-by-investment programs.

For host economies, golden visas can be macro-significant. In St Kitts and Nevis, citizenship-by-investment revenue accounted for a cumulative 65% of GDP between 2017 and 2021. In Dominica, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, and St Lucia, CBI inflows fund budget items, school construction, and disaster recovery. The contrast with Spain (14,576 visas over a decade, near-zero macroeconomic effect, measurable housing-inflation effect) explains why small island states defend CBI while large EU states dismantle theirs.

Source: Council on Foreign Relations - Golden Passports and Visas (2024)

13. Caribbean citizenship-by-investment thresholds doubled to 200,000 US dollars in July 2024

In June and July 2024, the five Caribbean CBI countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia) signed the OECS Memorandum of Agreement and harmonised their minimum citizenship contributions at 200,000 US dollars for a single applicant, up from 100,000 in Dominica, St Lucia, and Antigua. The standardisation followed pressure from the EU, the UK, and the US Treasury over due diligence and price competition.

Dominica raised single-applicant contributions from 100,000 to 200,000 USD. Antigua and Barbuda set the family-of-four floor at 230,000 USD. St Kitts and Nevis cut its threshold from 350,000 to 250,000 USD. Processing times remain four months for St Kitts and six to ten months for the others. The Caribbean programs are now the only mature passport-issuing routes outside Turkey and the small Pacific states.

Source: Immigrant Invest - Changes in Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Programs 2024

What these numbers tell us

Three patterns stand out across the 2024 and 2025 data. First, EU golden visas are consolidating around fewer, more expensive routes. Portugal cut real estate, Spain shut down entirely, Greece tripled its urban threshold, Malta lost its citizenship route, Ireland closed its IIP. The remaining EU options (Portugal funds, Greece commercial conversion, Italy investor visa, Austria private residence) are smaller, slower, and more expensive than the 2019 to 2022 norm.

Second, demand is shifting source nationalities. China remains the largest historical buyer of Portuguese, Spanish, Greek, Irish, and US (EB-5) golden visas, but US, UK, Indian, and Turkish demand is growing fastest. Henley & Partners' 1,000% increase in US client volume since 2019, and the 57% UK growth in 2024 alone, point to mobility hedging by citizens of large Western democracies as the marginal driver.

Third, the action has moved outside the EU. Dubai issued more golden visas in a single year (158,000 in 2023) than Portugal, Greece, Spain, Malta, Italy, and Ireland combined have issued across their entire histories. US EB-5 set new records. Caribbean CBI continues to fund small-island budgets. The future of investment migration is structurally less European and more global than its first decade.

The golden visa is not dying; it is repricing, relocating, and being recapitalized around non-real-estate routes outside the European Union.

How Nomad fits this landscape

A golden visa solves the residence question. It does not solve the day-counting question. Most programs (Portugal, Greece, Italy, Spain, UAE) require minimum physical presence to maintain status, and they trigger tax residency under separate 183-day rules. Portugal's golden visa requires 7 days per year on average; the UAE residence visa lapses if you spend more than 6 consecutive months outside the country; the US EB-5 conditional green card requires you not to abandon US residence. Each rule has a day-count threshold and carries serious consequences if missed.

Nomad (the visa compliance app for digital nomads) tracks your days across every country, alerts you 7, 3, and 1 day before any limit (UAE 6-month rule, Schengen 90/180, US substantial presence, residency-maintenance minimums), and keeps passport details on your device for privacy.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many golden visa programs exist worldwide in 2026?

More than 100 countries operate some form of residence-by-investment (golden visa) program, and approximately 22 countries offer citizenship-by-investment (golden passport) routes, according to the Council on Foreign Relations citing the Investment Migration Council. Henley & Partners' 2025 Investment Migration Programs Report formally analyzes and ranks 40 of the most relevant programs. The total industry is estimated at around 20 to 22 billion US dollars per year in government contributions, real estate purchases, fund subscriptions, and advisory fees.

Which country issues the most golden visas per year?

The United Arab Emirates issues the most golden visas globally by volume. Dubai's General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs alone issued approximately 158,000 UAE golden visas in 2023, roughly double the 79,617 issued in 2022. By comparison, Portugal issued 4,987 in 2024, Greece granted 4,536 permits in 2024, and Spain issued 780 visas in the first ten months of 2024 before closing the program. The US EB-5 program issued 12,055 visas in fiscal year 2024.

Which golden visa programs have closed since 2023?

Ireland closed its Immigrant Investor Programme on 15 February 2023 after attracting 1.252 billion euros. Portugal removed the real estate route in October 2023 but kept the program alive through funds and other routes. Spain ended its golden visa entirely on 3 April 2025. Malta's MEIN citizenship-by-investment scheme was effectively terminated by the European Court of Justice on 29 April 2025. Greece raised its top-tier minimum from 250,000 to 800,000 euros from 1 September 2024 but kept the program open.

Which golden visa is now ranked #1 in the world?

Greece holds the #1 spot in the 2025 Henley & Partners Global Residence Program Index with a score of 73 out of 100, ending Portugal's nine-year run at the top. The ranking reflects Greece's combination of EU passport access after seven years of residence, mature legal infrastructure, comparatively low minimum stay requirements, and (despite the 2024 threshold rise) a still-accessible 250,000-euro commercial-conversion route. Switzerland ranks second (72), with Portugal, Italy, and the UK tied for third (70).

Where do these golden visa statistics come from?

This report uses primary government data from AIMA (Portugal), the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum, the Spanish Official Gazette and Council of Ministers, the GDRFA Dubai, USCIS (US EB-5), Community Malta Agency, and the Irish Department of Justice. Industry data comes from Henley & Partners' Investment Migration Programs Report 2025, the Investment Migration Council, IMI Daily, Global Citizen Solutions, Fragomen legal alerts, and the Council on Foreign Relations. Where governments do not publish granular nationality breakdowns, intermediary aggregators are clearly attributed.

About Nomad

Nomad is the visa compliance app for digital nomads. Built by nomads for nomads, it tracks your days across every country automatically, alerts you before overstays, and keeps passport details on your device for privacy. The in-app AI assistant answers visa questions in plain English. Available on iOS.