Iraq immigration swells Swedish population

Sweden's population has grown considerably so far this year. Immigration is the main source of the growth, with Iraq one of the main sources of immigrants.

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So far, the population has increased by 55,799 people, the largest rise since 1994, taking Sweden comfortably clear of the nine million mark at 9,103,551.

Between January and September, 73,907 people moved to Sweden from abroad. This is 26,000 more, or 54 percent, than during the same period last year. According to a report by Statistics Sweden, the increase is mainly made up of Swedish citizens who have returned home. The number of foreigners, especially from Iraq, has also increased significantly.

During the first three quarters of the year, 7,094 Iraqis have come to Sweden. Last year, the number of Iraqis that came to Sweden was 1,532. Another nationality quickly increasing in numbers in Sweden is Polish.

But immigration is not the only cause of Sweden's population increase. Some 81,948 babies were born during the first three quarters of the year – a five percent increase compared to last year. Again, the last time this many babies were born in Sweden was in 1994. The total number of births exceeded the number of deaths by 14,095.

Marriage has also increased in popularity with the number of people tying the knot higher than at any time since 1989. Some 37,529 marriages took place during the first nine months of the year. Divorces have increased in number: 14, 826 couples got divorced this year compared to 14,727 divorces last year.