Record number immigrations reported in 2016

A total of 34,905 persons moved to Finland in 2016, which was 21 per cent more than one year earlier, according to Statistics Finland.

The number of immigrants exceeded the record of 2013 by nearly 3,000 immigrants.

Emigration also increased from the previous year, but clearly less than immigration. A total of 18,082 persons moved abroad from Finland, 11 per cent more than in the year before. The migration gain for Finland grew to 16,823 persons from the previous year's 12,441.

Of immigrants, 27,274 or 78 per cent were foreign citizens in 2016. Fifty-nine per cent or 10,603 of emigrants were Finnish citizens. Finland's migration gain from foreign citizens amounted to 19,795 persons, but Finnish citizens generated a migration loss of 2,972 persons.

Finland's migration gain consisted almost completely of immigrants from outside the EU in 2016. Immigration from other than EU countries increased considerably from the year before, while emigration to countries outside the EU was much lower. Net immigration from countries outside the EU grew to 15,716 from the previous year's 10,247.

Immigration gain was the largest from Iraq, 3,069 immigrants, second largest from Russia, 2,087 immigrants, and third largest from Afghanistan, 1,097 immigrants.

Immigration from EU countries to Finland remained at the same level compared with the previous year, down by just 182 persons to 12,913. Instead, emigration to EU countries has now been growing for six years in succession. Last year, 11,806 persons emigrated from Finland to other EU countries. This was 905 persons more than one year previously. As a result of the development described above, Finland’s migration gain from EU countries was nearly one half lower than in the year before, 1,107 persons.