In the Nordic Region, a trend towards ageing and population decline has been observed in many rural municipalities. As this map shows, this trend would have been even more pronounced without international migration.
During 2016 the Nordic population grew by 252 205 inhabitants. Seventy-eight percent of this increase was due to positive net immigration. At the municipal level the role of international migration is clearly visible. Three hundred and twenty-four (27%) municipalities experienced population growth due exclusively to immigration. Put another way, more than sixty percent of Nordic municipalities would have experienced population decline without immigration.
