This page vs the official PDF: The Migraciones source PDF presents the raw numbers. This page adds annotated charts with event markers (COVID-19, Law 6984), the throughput rate trend, backlog analysis, western-reader interpretation, and the 2026 January signal — making the data usable for decision-making rather than just reference.
What The Seven-Year Record Shows
Paraguay's residency system recorded its strongest growth cycle from 2019 to 2025. Applications nearly doubled from 24,113 to 47,687, a 12.1% compound annual growth rate. Grants followed with an 8.3% CAGR, rising from 25,197 to 40,600. Both are record figures for the seven-year record.
The most significant structural event was Law 6984/22, promulgated in October 2022. It introduced mandatory temporary residence as a prerequisite for permanent residency for most applicants. The effect was immediate and measurable: temporary applications jumped from 9,078 in 2022 to 20,685 in 2023, while permanent applications fell from 13,008 to 5,733 in the same period. The 2025 data shows this structural shift fully embedded — temporary applications reached 34,875 while permanent dropped to 12,812.
The second major signal from the 2025 data is processing pressure. The grant-to-application throughput rate fell to 85.1%, introducing a net backlog of +7,087 applications (more filed than granted in the same year) for the first time since COVID. This does not mean the system is failing — it means demand is growing faster than the system's capacity to process it.
The nationality table for 2025 grants confirms Brazil leads at 57.9% of all grants, but the presence of Germany (#3), Spain (#5), Netherlands (#7), and the United States (#8) among the top 10 shows the demand base is not purely regional. Finally, the 2026 early signal — 2,817 applications in the first 20 days of January — suggests the growth trajectory has not plateaued.
Key Findings From The 2019–2025 Record
- ✓ Applications nearly doubled from 24,113 (2019) to 47,687 (2025), a 12.1% CAGR — the strongest sustained growth period in the seven-year record.
- ✓ Law 6984/22 (October 2022) introduced mandatory temporary residence before permanent, structurally shifting the temporary-versus-permanent mix starting in 2023.
- ✓ The annual grant-to-application throughput rate fell from 104.5% (2019) to 85.1% (2025), introducing net backlog (+7,087) for the first time since COVID.
- ✓ Brazil captured 57.9% of all 2025 grants, but Germany (#3), Spain (#5), Netherlands (#7), and the United States (#8) show the demand base extends well beyond Mercosur neighbors.
- ✓ January 2026 opened with 2,817 applications in 20 days — a 79% increase over the same period in 2025 — suggesting the growth trajectory has not yet plateaued.
Applications vs Grants Over Time
The chart below shows annual applications and grants from 2019 to 2025. Applications are filings submitted in that calendar year. Grants are permits issued in that same calendar year. A throughput rate above 100% means grants exceeded new applications that year; below 100% means the system is accumulating backlog.
Bar chart: Annual residency applications and grants for Paraguay, 2019–2025. Applications (red) vs grants (brown). Key milestones: COVID-19 drop in 2020 (−49%), Law 6984 in Oct 2022, and record 2025 with 47,687 applications and 40,600 grants.
Applications nearly doubled over the seven-year period, reaching a record 47,687 in 2025. Grants also grew strongly to 40,600, but not fast enough to keep pace — the 85.1% throughput rate in 2025 signals the first net backlog year since COVID. The COVID dip in 2020 (applications fell 49.2%) is clearly visible, as is the sharp recovery in 2021 (+73.5%).
Source: Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendición de Cuentas 2025. Stated totals used for 2021 and 2022.
Temporary vs Permanent Composition
The stacked chart below shows how the temporary and permanent split evolved year by year. Law 6984/22 (October 2022) created a structural break from 2023 onward, making temporary residence a mandatory step before permanent residency for most applicants.
Stacked bar chart: Temporary (red) vs permanent (brown) residency composition for Paraguay, 2019–2025. Before 2023, permanent applications dominated. After Law 6984 (Oct 2022), temporary became the dominant category, reaching 34,875 temporary vs 12,812 permanent applications in 2025.
Before Law 6984, permanent applications typically exceeded temporary applications (the brown bar dominated). From 2023, the pattern flipped decisively — temporary filings now far exceed permanent filings. This reflects the mandatory temporary-first pathway rather than a shift in applicant preferences.
Source: Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendición de Cuentas 2025. Note: 2022 percentages derived from published temporary (9,078) and permanent (13,008) subtotals, which sum to 22,086 — the stated total of 22,686 includes an undisclosed third category.
Year-Over-Year Change
Applications and grants grew in every year except 2020 (COVID). The strongest single-year application growth was +63.7% in 2025.
| Year | Applications | Grants | Throughput |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | −11,866 (−49.2%) | −9,075 (−36.0%) | 131.6% |
| 2021 | +9,002 (+73.5%) | +2,829 (+17.5%) | 89.2% |
| 2022 | +1,437 (+6.8%) | +3,999 (+21.1%) | 101.2% |
| 2023 | +3,732 (+16.5%) | +3,641 (+15.9%) | 100.7% |
| 2024 | +2,708 (+10.3%) | +1,669 (+6.3%) | 97.0% |
| 2025 | +18,561 (+63.7%) | +12,340 (+43.7%) | 85.1% |
Source: Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendición de Cuentas 2025. 2019 has no YoY change (first year in series).
Processing Pressure: Annual and Cumulative Backlog
The chart below shows the annual gap between applications filed and grants issued each year. A positive bar (red) means more applications were filed than granted that year — backlog building. A negative bar (green) means grants exceeded applications — drawing down backlog.
Bar chart: Annual processing backlog for Paraguay residency, 2019–2025. Positive values (red) indicate more applications filed than granted — backlog building. Negative values (green) indicate grants exceeded applications — backlog reduction. 2025 shows the largest positive backlog at +7,087.
The 2025 backlog of +7,087 is the most significant in the record. The system went from net backlog reduction in 2020 (COVID-era grants exceeded reduced applications) to gradually neutral through 2022–2024, before flipping decisively into backlog accumulation in 2025. This is the operational consequence of sustained high-demand growth.
Source: Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendición de Cuentas 2025.
Top 10 Nationalities By Residency Grants
The chart below shows the top 10 nationalities by residency grants issued in 2025. Only the top 10 are published in the source; the remaining 13.2% (5,340 grants) are aggregated as "Other". Use the search, sort, and filter controls to explore the data. Note: per-nationality applications data is NOT published — this table shows grants only.
Brazil leads by a wide margin at 57.9% of all grants, but the presence of Germany (#3), Spain (#5), Netherlands (#7), and the United States (#8) confirms the demand base extends well beyond regional neighbors. European countries account for 4 of the top 10 grant positions.
Bar chart: Top 10 nationalities by Paraguay residency grants issued in 2025, with search, sort, and filter controls. Brazil dominates at 57.9% of 40,600 total grants. Controls allow filtering by region (Europe, South America, North America), sorting by rank, grants, share, or alphabetically, and viewing as count or percentage share.
Source: Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendición de Cuentas 2025, Gráfico 3. Note: only the top 10 nationalities are published in the source. Remaining 13.2% (5,340 grants) are aggregated as 'Other'.
Full Annual Data Table
The table below shows the complete official annual record for 2019–2025. Sort by any column by clicking the column header. Applications and grants are shown separately — do not treat them as matched-cohort approval rates.
| Year ↕ | Applications ↕ | Grants ↕ | Grants Temp ↕ | Grants Perm ↕ | Temp Apps ↕ | Perm Apps ↕ | YoY Apps ↕ | YoY Grants ↕ | Throughput ↕ | Backlog ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 24,113 | 25,197 | 10,985 | 14,212 | 8,681 | 15,432 | 104.5% | -1,084 | ||
| 2020 | 12,247 | 16,122 | 4,365 | 11,757 | 3,448 | 8,799 | -11,866 (-49.2%) | -9,075 (-36.0%) | 131.6% | -3,875 |
| 2021 | 21,249 | 18,951 | 6,739 | 12,212 | 7,400 | 13,843 | +9,002 (+73.5%) | +2,829 (+17.5%) | 89.2% | +2,298 |
| 2022 | 22,686 | 22,950 | 7,727 | 15,223 | 9,078 | 13,008 | +1,437 (+6.8%) | +3,999 (+21.1%) | 101.2% | -264 |
| 2023 | 26,418 | 26,591 | 19,190 | 7,401 | 20,685 | 5,733 | +3,732 (+16.5%) | +3,641 (+15.9%) | 100.7% | -173 |
| 2024 | 29,126 | 28,260 | 21,686 | 6,574 | 22,679 | 6,447 | +2,708 (+10.3%) | +1,669 (+6.3%) | 97.0% | +866 |
| 2025 | 47,687 | 40,600 | 29,976 | 10,624 | 34,875 | 12,812 | +18,561 (+63.7%) | +12,340 (+43.7%) | 85.1% | +7,087 |
Throughput = grants ÷ applications for same year. Above 100% means net backlog reduction; below 100% means net backlog accumulation. Annual backlog = applications minus grants (positive = more filed than granted).
Other Immigration Documents And Migration Flow
The Migraciones annual report also publishes broader immigration metrics. These are separate from residency applications and grants, and are useful context for understanding the scale of movement through the immigration system.
Other Documents Issued
2025 total: 57,735 (+57% vs 2024)
- Certificado de radicación27,763
- Residencia Precaria25,812
- Reposición de carnet1,878
- Residencia espontánea u ocasional1,389
- Prórroga de permanencia472
- Renovación de carnet421
Approximately 89,000 users attended at immigration offices in 2025.
Migration Flow
2025 total border crossings: 14,533,495 (+39% vs 2024)
- Entries7,051,634
- Exits7,481,861
- Net flow−430,227 (more exits)
Migration flow counts all border crossings, not residency applications. Net exits reflect temporary and short-stay movement, not permanent migration.
2026 Early Signal: +79% In The First 20 Days
Migraciones reported 2,817 applications filed between January 1 and January 20, 2026 — a 79% increase over the same 20-day period in 2025. This is an early demand signal only, not a full-month or full-year figure.
Important caveats: Do not annualize this figure. Full 2026 monthly data will not be available until the Memoria Anual for 2026 is published, expected March–April 2027. This signal suggests continued strong growth but should be treated as directional context, not a projection.
Source: Migraciones press article, January 26, 2026. URL in methodology section.
What The Trends Mean For Your Paraguay Residency Plan
Strong growth, processing pressure, and a structural law change — the data shows the environment is shifting. Read the trends, then understand the actual process and requirements for your case.
How To Read This Data Safely
These are the critical distinctions to keep in mind when reading the charts and tables on this page:
- Applications and grants are separate operational series. They are counts of filings and issuances in the same calendar year — not matched cohorts. Do not treat them as an approval rate. A grant issued in 2025 may correspond to an application filed in 2024 or earlier.
- The throughput rate reflects net backlog change, not approval rate. A 100% throughput rate means grants matched applications in that year — not that every applicant was approved. The DNM does not publish approval rates by nationality.
- The annual backlog (+7,087 in 2025) is net demand, not total pending cases. It is the gap between what was filed and what was granted in the same year. It does not capture prior-year applications still in the queue.
- The temporary/permanent shift is a pathway rule change, not a reduction in permanent availability. Law 6984 requires most applicants to go through temporary first. Permanent residency is still available and still granted — the process now has an additional step.
- The 2026 early signal is not a full-year figure. 2,817 applications in 20 days reflects January's typical high volume. Annualizing it would overstate the full-year pace. Full 2026 data will not be available until March 2027.
Related Residency Data
What The Seven-Year Record Suggests
The Strongest Sustained Growth Cycle In The Record
The 2019–2025 period represents the strongest sustained growth cycle in Paraguay residency's available annual data record. Applications grew at a 12.1% CAGR — nearly doubling from 24,113 to 47,687 — despite the COVID shock in 2020. The bounce-back was faster than expected: 2021 already exceeded 2019 levels, and 2022 exceeded it further. By 2025, applications had nearly doubled the pre-COVID baseline.
This is not a short-term spike. It reflects compounding structural demand driven by global factors — digital nomadism, geopolitical shifts, growing awareness of Paraguay as a tax-efficient and accessible residency option — layered on top of the existing regional demand from neighboring countries.
Law 6984 As A Structural Inflection Point
Law 6984/22 is one of the clearest structural breaks in the available data record. Before October 2022, permanent residency was accessible as a direct pathway for many applicants. After October 2022, mandatory temporary residence became the required first step before permanent residency for most. The data response was immediate and measurable: temporary applications roughly doubled from 2022 to 2023 and continued rising to 2025.
This does not mean permanent residency became harder to obtain. It means the process changed shape — applicants now file for temporary first, then transition. The overall system remains accessible, but the administrative pathway is now longer and more sequential.
Processing Pressure Is The Key Emerging Risk
The 2025 data introduces a signal that is worth watching carefully: the throughput rate fell to 85.1%, and the net backlog reached +7,087. This is not a crisis — the system processed 40,600 grants in 2025, a record figure. But it does mean the system's capacity is being tested by demand growth that outpaced processing capacity.
For prospective applicants, this means planning ahead matters more than it did when throughput was at 104.5%. Applications filed in 2025 may take longer to process than those filed in 2019 or 2020. This is an operational reality, not a warning that the pathway is closing.
Why The Nationality Mix Matters
The 2025 grants-by-nationality table confirms a pattern visible in earlier data: Brazil dominates by volume (57.9% of all grants), but the top 10 also includes four European countries and the United States. This is consistent with Paraguay Sovereign's target audience. The demand is real and visible in official data, not just anecdotal.
The limitation is that per-nationality applications are not published — only grants. This means the nationality table cannot show whether Germany or Spain applicants are more likely to apply. But the grants data does show these nationalities are successfully obtaining residency, which matters for prospective applicants from those markets.
The 2026 Signal And The Multi-Year Arc
A single 20-day snapshot cannot confirm a trend, but the +79% early signal for January 2026 is consistent with the multi-year arc. If that rate continued for a full year, applications would reach approximately 51,600 — another record. Even if the pace moderates as the year progresses, the direction of travel is clear: demand for Paraguay residency is still growing.
This has implications for planning. Applicants who are seriously considering Paraguay residency should treat the current window as advantageous — processing times are longer than they were, but the system is still processing record volumes. Delaying further carries the risk of a system under increasing pressure.
What This Means For Western Applicants
If you are reading this from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Australia, or New Zealand, the seven-year official record has a clear message: your market is visibly present in Paraguay's residency system, the growth trajectory is positive, and the 2025 nationality grants data confirms your nationalities are successfully obtaining residency.
The processing pressure signal (85.1% throughput) is the one data point that adds a note of urgency. The system is still working — 40,600 grants were issued in 2025 — but it is processing more applications than it can resolve in the same year. For western applicants, this means planning ahead and not assuming the process will be as fast as historical anecdotes suggest.
Law 6984/22 means the path now goes through temporary residency first. That is a change in process, not a barrier to entry. The data shows 34,875 temporary applications were filed and 29,976 temporary grants were issued in 2025 — a large and functioning pathway.
Methodology And Data Caveats
This page is based on the Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendición de Cuentas 2025, an official government annual report. It covers the period from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2025 for applications and grants. The 2026 early signal comes from a separate Migraciones press article covering January 1–20, 2026.
Key caveats to keep in mind when reading this page:
- Source: Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendición de Cuentas 2025 (primary); Migraciones press article (2026 signal)
- Reporting period: January 2019 – December 2025 (annual), January 1–20 2026 (early signal)
- 2026 early signal: January 1–20, 2026 only — do not annualize
- Applications and grants are shown as separate annual series — do not treat them as matched-cohort approval rates
- Per-nationality applications are NOT published — nationality table shows grants only
- Only top 10 nationalities are published in the source; remaining 13.2% (5,340 grants) shown as "Other"
- 2021 stated total (21,249) exceeds temp+perm sum (21,243) by 6 — negligible discrepancy, stated total used
- 2022 stated total (22,686) exceeds temp+perm sum (22,086) by 600 — possible third category not shown separately; stated total used
- Full 2026 monthly data will not be available until approximately March 2027
- Archival plan: This is the canonical 2019–2025 edition. When the 2026 Memoria Anual is published (~March 2027), a new
/residency/data/trends/page will replace this one. The 2019–2025 edition will be archived at/residency/data/trends/2019-2025/to preserve the record and protect SEO value. This page must not be silently replaced.
Sources & References
- Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendición de Cuentas 2025 — Primary source: annual applications, grants, and nationality grants tables
- Migraciones press article: "Residencias en Paraguay 2025 cierra con cifras históricas" — 2026 early signal: 2,817 applications Jan 1–20 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people applied for Paraguay residency in 2025?
47,687 applications were filed in 2025, according to the Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendición de Cuentas 2025. This is the highest single-year figure in the seven-year record, up 63.7% from 29,126 in 2024.
How many residencies were granted in 2025?
40,600 permits were granted in 2025, according to the Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendición de Cuentas 2025. This is also a record high, up 43.7% from 28,260 in 2024. The gap between applications filed (47,687) and grants issued (40,600) is the key processing-pressure signal for the year.
Why did temporary residency applications overtake permanent in 2023?
Law 6984/22, promulgated in October 2022, introduced mandatory temporary residence as a prerequisite for permanent residency for most applicants. This is a pathway rule change — not a reduction in permanent availability. The data shows this clearly: temporary applications rose from 9,078 in 2022 to 20,685 in 2023 and 34,875 in 2025, while permanent applications fell from 13,008 in 2022 to 5,733 in 2023 (partially recovering to 12,812 in 2025).
Is Paraguay residency demand still growing?
Yes. The seven-year record shows compound growth from 24,113 (2019) to 47,687 (2025), a 12.1% CAGR. The 2026 early signal — 2,817 applications in the first 20 days of January, up 79% over the same 2025 period — suggests the growth trajectory has not plateaued. Full 2026 data will not be available until approximately March 2027.
What does the throughput rate mean?
The throughput rate is grants issued divided by applications filed in the same year. Above 100% means the system granted more permits than new applications received that year (processing backlog from prior years). Below 100% means the system is accumulating backlog. In 2025 the rate fell to 85.1%, the lowest in the record, indicating demand is now growing faster than processing capacity.
How many residency applications are pending?
The published data does not give a direct pending-cases count. The annual backlog figure (+7,087 in 2025) represents the net gap between applications filed and grants issued in that same year — it is not the total pending caseload. Prior-year applications that remain in process are not published.
What does the 2025 backlog mean for my application?
The 2025 backlog (+7,087 annual gap, 85.1% throughput rate) means the system received more applications than it processed in that year. For prospective applicants, this translates to potentially longer processing times than historical anecdotes suggest. It does not mean the pathway is closing or that applications are being rejected at higher rates — the 40,600 grants issued in 2025 is itself a record.
Should I be concerned about increasing demand affecting my processing time?
The data suggests planning ahead is now more important than it was when throughput was at 104.5% (2019). Processing times may be longer than recent historical experience for straightforward cases. The system is still processing record volumes — 40,600 grants in 2025 — but it is under more pressure than in prior years. Starting the process sooner rather than later is the most practical implication of the backlog data.
When will 2026 full-year data be available?
Full 2026 monthly data will not be available until the Memoria Anual for 2026 is published, expected March–April 2027. The 2026 early signal (January 1–20) published by Migraciones in January 2026 is a 20-day snapshot only and should not be treated as a full-year projection.
Are applications and grants the same thing?
No. Applications are filings submitted to Migraciones in a given period. Grants are residency permits officially issued in that same period. They are separate operational series. A grant issued in 2025 may correspond to an application filed in 2024 or earlier. This means applications and grants should not be treated as matched cohorts or used to calculate approval rates.
Why does Brazil dominate the nationality data?
Brazil is the largest single source of residency demand in Paraguay, consistent with geography, MERCOSUR ties, cross-border movement, and the scale of Brazil's population relative to Paraguay. Brazil accounted for 57.9% of all residency grants in 2025. The presence of Germany (#3), Spain (#5), the Netherlands (#7), and the United States (#8) among the top 10 grants shows the system also serves significant extra-regional demand.
How does Law 6984 affect my application?
Law 6984/22 requires most applicants to obtain temporary residency before applying for permanent residency. This means a longer, more sequential process: temporary residency filed first, then permanent residency after meeting the temporary residency period requirement. The data shows this is now the dominant pathway — 34,875 temporary applications and 29,976 temporary grants in 2025. The process is still accessible and functioning, but it has an additional step compared to the pre-2023 pathway.
Ready To Start Your Paraguay Residency Process?
The data shows the system is working and growing. Understand the current requirements, processing context, and the specific steps for your nationality and situation.