What Paraguay's Residency Data Shows in 2025
- ✓ 2025 applications exceeded 2019 and 2020 combined. In a single year, Paraguay received more residency applications than in both 2019 (24,113) and 2020 (12,247) combined — the two years bookending the COVID disruption.
- ✓ Applications nearly doubled year-on-year. The +63.7% surge in 2025 follows a +10.3% increase in 2024 and a +16.5% increase in 2023. This is not a one-year spike — it's a sustained acceleration.
- ✓ The backlog grew more than 8× in a single year. The gap between applications filed and permits granted widened from 866 in 2024 to approximately 7,087 in 2025 — more than eight times larger. The system granted 40,600 permits but received 47,687 applications.
- ✓ The temporary vs permanent split flipped entirely. Under Law 6984/22 (effective 2023), most applicants now must complete a temporary residency stage before applying for permanent residency. Temporary applications grew from 8,681 in 2019 to 34,875 in 2025 (73% of all filings), while permanent applications fell from 15,432 (2019) to a low of 5,733 (2023) before recovering to 12,812 in 2025 — but because total filings grew so much faster, permanent's share dropped from 64% to 27%. The surge in total applications is partly the same people appearing in both counts.
- ✓ Non-Brazilian demand is substantial and growing. Excluding Brazil (which accounts for 57.9% of 2025 grants), the remaining 17,074 grants went to other nationalities — a meaningful signal that demand extends well beyond Paraguay's Mercosur neighbors.
- ✓ The 2026 early signal suggests this is not a spike. In the first 20 days of 2026, DNM recorded 2,817 applications — +79% versus the same period in 2025. While a 20-day window cannot reliably predict a full year, the direction is clear.
- ✓ Investor residency filings represent less than 1% of total demand but carry outsized commercial significance. SUACE received 269 investor residency filings in the first 11 months of 2024, versus 29,126 total applications for the full year. The investor channel is niche but growing and diversifying.
Paraguay Residency Applications 2019–2025: Record Growth
Applications have nearly doubled from their pre-COVID level. From 2019 to 2025, filings grew from 24,113 to 47,687 — a compound annual growth rate of approximately 12% per year. Average annual applications jumped from ~20,000 in 2019–2022 to over 34,000 in 2023–2025 — a structural step-up of roughly 71%. The pace accelerated sharply in 2025, but the underlying upward trend began well before that — following a +16.5% increase in 2023 and a +10.3% increase in 2024. The jump from 2024 to 2025 (+63.7%) is the largest single-year percentage increase in the series.
Law 6984/22, enacted October 2022, introduced a mandatory temporary residency stage before permanent residency eligibility. This is the primary structural driver of the 2023–2025 surge. Before the law, an applicant filed once for permanent residency. After the law, most applicants file twice — once for temporary, once for permanent. The growth in application counts reflects this process change, not only organic demand growth.
Source: DNM Memoria Anual 2025. COVID years (2020–2021) shaded. Law 6984/22 line shown at 2023.
How Law 6984/22 Changed Paraguay's Residency Application Process
Before October 2022, most applicants filed directly for permanent residency. After Law 6984/22, the majority file for temporary residency first. This does not mean twice as many people want to live in Paraguay — it means the same people are filing twice. Yet even accounting for this structural change, the volume of filings is extraordinary by regional standards.
Temporary vs Permanent residency applications 2019–2025
Source: DNM Memoria Anual 2025. The temporary majority reflects Law 6984/22 requirements, not a preference shift.
The commercially relevant insight is the total filing volume — people are going through the process despite the extra step, which indicates strong motivation.
Residency Processing Backlog Reaches ~7,000 in 2025
In 2025, DNM granted 40,600 residency permits — the highest annual total on record. But it received 47,687 applications in the same period. The gap of approximately 7,087 filings represents the backlog accumulated in a single year — the largest annual shortfall in the seven-year series.
What This Means for Your Timeline
The backlog is growing — more people are filing than the system grants each year. This reflects strong demand, not poor outcomes. It does mean processing times may exceed the historical 3–6 months for initial stages. If you have a target move date, start your application early. Plan ahead: factor 6–9 months for temporary residency and an additional 3–6 months for permanent residency once eligible.
Source: DNM Memoria Anual 2025. Backlog = applications minus grants. The growing gap between filings and grants shows how demand outpaced processing capacity each year.
Paraguay Investor Residency (SUACE): 269 Filings in 2024
Investor residency through SUACE (the Special Unit for the Convergence of ATTT) is a specialized pathway offering permanent residency with faster processing than the standard pathway. While it represents less than 1% of total residency filings, it attracts a distinct nationality mix — heavily weighted toward Bolivia, Argentina, and Russia — and carries outsized commercial relevance as a high-intent audience with higher economic impact per filing.
Regional Breakdown
Filings by region, Jan–Nov 2024. Source: SUACE public-information #88224.
Top SUACE Nationalities
| Country | Filings | Share | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolivia | 101 | 37.5% | MERCOSUR |
| Argentina | 46 | 17.1% | MERCOSUR |
| Brazil | 26 | 9.7% | MERCOSUR |
| Russia | 26 | 9.7% | Eastern Europe |
| Spain | 10 | 3.7% | Western Europe |
| Chile | 6 | 2.2% | South America |
| Germany | 5 | 1.9% | Western Europe |
| Poland | 4 | 1.5% | Eastern Europe |
| United States | 4 | 1.5% | North America |
| Taiwan | 4 | 1.5% | Asia |
Residency Grants by Nationality 2025: Brazil Dominates, But Demand Is Broader
Brazil accounts for 57.9% of all residency permits granted in 2025 — a dominance that reflects geography, historical migration patterns, and Mercosur free-movement provisions. But the remaining 42.1% — 17,074 permits to non-Brazilian nationals — tells a broader story: demand for Paraguayan residency is growing across a diverse set of nationalities and regions.
Note: Per-nationality applications data is not published by DNM. The nationality breakdown below shows grants only. Full per-year nationality trend data is not available from official sources.
| # | Country | Grants (2025) | Share | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | 23,526 | 57.9% | South America |
| 2 | Argentina | 4,366 | 10.8% | South America |
| 3 | Germany ★ | 1,652 | 4.1% | Europe |
| 4 | Bolivia | 1,357 | 3.3% | South America |
| 5 | Spain ★ | 1,023 | 2.5% | Europe |
| 6 | Venezuela | 847 | 2.1% | South America |
| 7 | Netherlands ★ | 772 | 1.9% | Europe |
| 8 | United States ★ | 736 | 1.8% | North America |
| 9 | Russia | 509 | 1.3% | Europe |
| 10 | France ★ | 472 | 1.2% | Europe |
★ High-income country with individually reportable DNM grant count
Non-Brazilian grants (17,074) exceed total grants from the COVID-disrupted year of 2020 (16,122) — a structural shift in who is seeking Paraguayan residency.
High-Income Country Grants
Five high-income countries with individually reportable DNM grant counts received a combined 4,655 grants (~11.5% of total). The remaining five (UK, Canada, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland) fall below DNM's reporting threshold.
| Country | Grants (2025) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 1,652 | 4.1% |
| Spain | 1,023 | 2.5% |
| Netherlands | 772 | 1.9% |
| United States | 736 | 1.8% |
| France | 472 | 1.2% |
| Subtotal (5 countries) | 4,655 | ~11.5% |
Multi-year trend data (2023-2024-2025 per nationality) is not available from DNM. UK, Canada, Italy, Portugal, and Switzerland fall below individual-reporting thresholds — included in "Other" on the main nationality table.
Paraguay Residency Demand in Early 2026: +79% Signal
In the first 20 days of 2026 (January 1–20), DNM recorded 2,817 new residency applications — a +79% increase versus the same 20-day period in 2025. While a 20-day window cannot reliably predict a full-year total, the direction is consistent with the sustained upward trajectory observed since 2022.
How the Paraguay Residency Momentum Index Is Calculated
Key Notes
Limitations
- – 2020 and 2021 throughput scores are distorted by COVID backlog dynamics — always display with COVID flag
- – Per-nationality applications data is not published by DNM — nationality section shows grants only
- – Multi-year nationality trend data (2023-2025 YoY growth per country) is not available
- – Backlog is estimated from annual filings vs grants, not individual case tracking
- – Single-year SUACE baseline — no trend available until 2025 data is published
Sources
Download the Data
Source PDF
DNM Memoria Anual de Rendición de Cuentas 2025. Annual report. Opens in new tab.
Methodology
Data cleaning rules, translation conventions, and caveats.
Changelog
Version history and update log for this dataset.
Ready to Explore Paraguay Residency?
The data shows strong, sustained momentum in Paraguay's residency program. If you're considering making Paraguay your home — or a base for your business, remote work, or investment portfolio — here's how to take the next step.
Start Your Residency Application
Everything you need to know about eligibility, required documents, and the filing process.
See Requirements →Understand the Residency Process
The difference between temporary and permanent residency, timelines, and what Law 6984/22 means for your path.
Read the Guide →Investor Residency (SUACE)
If you're considering the USD $70,000 investment pathway, see the full requirements and process.
Explore SUACE →See Full Nationality Data
Explore the complete breakdown of residency grants by country for 2024 and prior years.
Browse Data →Explore Residency Options
Browse the complete residency guide — requirements, process, timelines, costs, and comparison pages.
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