Cyprus issued over 30,000 residence permits in 2023, mostly to Russians, Indians, and Nepalese individuals, a Eurostat report showed on Thursday.

According to the report, Cyprus gave out 34,000 residence permits last year, recording an over 10 per cent decrease from the year before.

For 2023, Cyprus recorded a decrease of 10.9 per cent compared to 2022 (from 38,917 residence permits in 2022 to 34,694 in 2023), the first decrease recorded since 2013 (with the exception of a temporary decrease in 2020).

Cyprus also came third of EU countries to give residence permits to Russians, with Germany coming in first.

In Cyprus, most permits were issued in 2023 to citizens of Russia (12,029), India (3,852) and Nepal (3,148). They were followed by Sri Lanka (2,147), Syria (1,846), the Philippines (1,778) and Egypt (1,261).

Also, in Cyprus there was a significant increase in residence permits for educational purposes and a significant decrease in residence permits for other reasons, including for international protection.

In Cyprus in 2023, most residence permits were issued for family reasons to Russia, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Egypt, Ukraine, Israel and Belarus, while more permits were issued for educational reasons for citizens of India and Nepal, while most permits for citizens of Syria fall under other reasons.