Here's where Sweden's new citizens came from in 2016
More people than ever before became new Swedish citizens last year, according to fresh statistics.
A total of 60,343 people were granted Swedish citizenship in 2016, according to national number-crunching agency Statistics Sweden, up by 12,094 people on the year before.
Foreign-born people with Swedish passports thus broke the one-million barrier, with the total number of Swedish citizens who were born abroad reaching 1,012,941 by the end of 2016.
Women made up more than half (52 percent) of last year's new Swedes. Somalians meanwhile represented 15 percent of new citizens, the largest single group of 2016.
Around one in five of new Swedes were born in another EU country, with Polish nationals constituting the largest group, followed by Finland, Denmark and the United Kingdom.
"Of those who were previously citizens of another EU country, the UK represents the largest percentage increase, and the majority of these happened in the second half of 2016, which is perhaps largely explained by the Yes side's win in Britain's referendum in June about leaving the European Union," wrote Statistics Sweden in a press release.
READ ALSO: Here's where Sweden's foreigners come from
As The Local has previously reported, the number of Brits applying for Swedish citizenship increased threefold last year. In mid-December the Migration Agency said that around half of those who had applied after the Brexit vote on June 23rd had been accepted, while the other half were still waiting to hear back. Waiting times are expected to decrease in 2017.
The number of asylum seekers went down last year after more than 160,000 sought asylum in Sweden in 2015. In 2016 a total of 28,939 applied for asylum, the lowest figure since 2009. Syrians remained the biggest single group of asylum seekers last year, but their applications fell by 90 percent. Six out of ten of asylum seekers in 2016 were men.
Where Sweden's new citizens came from in 2016: top-15 (Statistics Sweden):
1. Somalia (9,069)
2. Syria (4,479)
3. Iraq (3,694)
4. Poland (2,702)
5. Thailand (2,675)
6. Afghanistan (2,330)
7. Finland (2,182)
8. Denmark (1,942)
9. Eritrea (1,451)
10. Iran (1,420)
11. Turkey (1,320)
12. Serbia (1,234)
13. The United Kingdom (960)
14. Romania (886)
15. Germany (858)
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A total of 60,343 people were granted Swedish citizenship in 2016, according to national number-crunching agency Statistics Sweden, up by 12,094 people on the year before.
Foreign-born people with Swedish passports thus broke the one-million barrier, with the total number of Swedish citizens who were born abroad reaching 1,012,941 by the end of 2016.
Women made up more than half (52 percent) of last year's new Swedes. Somalians meanwhile represented 15 percent of new citizens, the largest single group of 2016.
Around one in five of new Swedes were born in another EU country, with Polish nationals constituting the largest group, followed by Finland, Denmark and the United Kingdom.
"Of those who were previously citizens of another EU country, the UK represents the largest percentage increase, and the majority of these happened in the second half of 2016, which is perhaps largely explained by the Yes side's win in Britain's referendum in June about leaving the European Union," wrote Statistics Sweden in a press release.
READ ALSO: Here's where Sweden's foreigners come from
As The Local has previously reported, the number of Brits applying for Swedish citizenship increased threefold last year. In mid-December the Migration Agency said that around half of those who had applied after the Brexit vote on June 23rd had been accepted, while the other half were still waiting to hear back. Waiting times are expected to decrease in 2017.
The number of asylum seekers went down last year after more than 160,000 sought asylum in Sweden in 2015. In 2016 a total of 28,939 applied for asylum, the lowest figure since 2009. Syrians remained the biggest single group of asylum seekers last year, but their applications fell by 90 percent. Six out of ten of asylum seekers in 2016 were men.
Where Sweden's new citizens came from in 2016: top-15 (Statistics Sweden):
1. Somalia (9,069)
2. Syria (4,479)
3. Iraq (3,694)
4. Poland (2,702)
5. Thailand (2,675)
6. Afghanistan (2,330)
7. Finland (2,182)
8. Denmark (1,942)
9. Eritrea (1,451)
10. Iran (1,420)
11. Turkey (1,320)
12. Serbia (1,234)
13. The United Kingdom (960)
14. Romania (886)
15. Germany (858)
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