Death rate remains high in country

The rate of birth remained low in the country in April this year compared to the rate of death during the stipulated period.

According to Statistics Finland 18,705 people died in the country in April and the number is 2527 higher than the number of births.

The total population, however, increased by 2278 as migration gained from abroad, since immigration exceeded emigration by 4,805.

According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, Finland's population was 5,505,575 at the end of April.

During January-April, 16,178 children were born, which is 1,323 fewer than in the corresponding period in 2016. The number of deaths was 18,705, which is 283 lower than one year earlier.

According to the preliminary statistics for February, 9,022 persons immigrated to Finland from abroad and 4,217 persons emigrated from Finland. The number of immigrants was 340 higher and the number of emigrants 388 lower than in the corresponding period of the previous year. In all, 2,043 of the immigrants and 2,829 of the emigrants were Finnish citizens.

According to the preliminary data, the number of inter-municipal migrations totalled 75,408 during January-April. Compared with the corresponding period in 2016, the increase was 2,002 migrations according to the municipal division of 2017.