Finland experienced a historic high in immigration in 2023, according to preliminary data, with 71,918 individuals moving to the country. This number surpasses the previous record set in 2022 by 21,920 migrations. 

Net immigration also reached an all-time high of 58,496 people. Notably, these figures are expected to increase further in the final statistics.

Emigration decreased by 2,213 compared to the previous year, with 7,018 Finnish citizens immigrating and 8,470 emigrating.

A significant contributor to this immigration surge was the influx of Ukrainians seeking temporary protection in Finland. According to Markus Rapo, a senior statistician, 19,834 Ukrainian nationals migrated to Finland, accounting for an impressive 26% of all immigrations. 

Most of these immigrations were over 18,000 more than the previous year. Rapo highlights that only Ukrainians who applied for a municipality in Finland after a year of residence appear in the statistics, and not all choose to do so, posing challenges for decision-making.

Besides Ukrainians, the immigration of nationals from several Asian countries also saw a significant increase. 

According to senior statistician Joonas Toivola, there were over 14,000 immigrants from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, and China combined in 2023. Sri Lankan migrations increased by over 2,000, and Bangladeshi migrations by 1,300 compared to 2022.

Russian immigrations to Finland decreased significantly, with 4,311 Russian nationals moving to Finland, over 1,600 fewer than the previous year. However, Russian immigrants were the third largest group by nationality, following Ukrainians and Finns.

On a different note, Finland's birth rate dropped to record lows in 2023. Only 43,320 children were born, a number comparable to the worst famine year of 1868. After a brief recovery during the COVID-19 years, the birth rate continued to decline, reaching an all-time low fertility rate of 1.26, down from 1.32 in 2022.

Life expectancy, however, increased in 2023. The life expectancy for newborn boys was estimated at 79.0 years and for girls at 84.2 years. "The life expectancy for boys is now at the level of 2018, and for girls at that of 2015," Rapo stated.

Despite the increase in life expectancy, the number of deaths remained high at 61,106, the second-highest since the war years. The mortality rate for individuals aged 90-94 and over 95 was four to seven percent higher in 2022-2023 compared to 2015-2019.

Source: Helsinki Times

BDST: 1543 HRS, JAN 26, 2024
MN