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.
![](/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Role_of_international_migration_in_population_change_Nordic_region_2016.png)
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.