Home > Statistics > Citizenships granted > 2013 > Finnish citizenship was granted to 8,930 foreign citizens

Published: 14 May 2014

Finnish citizenship was granted to 8,930 foreign citizens

According to Statistics Finland, Finnish citizenship was granted in 2013 to 8,930 foreign citizens permanently resident in Finland. The number is the second highest during Finland's independence and only 157 lower than in 2012. Ninety-five per cent of those having been granted Finnish citizenship retained their former citizenship. Of the persons receiving Finnish citizenship, 4,688 were women and 4,242 men. Among the persons having been granted Finnish citizenship, 2,517 were aged under 15 and 205 were older than 65.

Recipients of Finnish citizenship 1966–2013

Last year, Finnish citizenship was granted to 8,003 citizens of countries outside the European Union, which is 90 per cent of all granted Finnish citizenship. In all, 927 of those having being granted Finnish citizenship were from countries belonging to the European Union, which is close on 200 down from one year previously. One in five of those who received citizenship had been born in Finland and four in five abroad.

In 2013, Finnish citizenship was granted by far most often to citizens of Russia, numbering 2,103 among those having been granted Finnish citizenship. This was close on 400 down from the year before. Somali citizens were the second largest group of recipients of Finnish citizenship, numbering 814. In the year before, 609 Somalis received Finnish citizenship. In 2013, 521 citizens of Iraq living in Finland were granted Finnish citizenship. Afghan citizens formed the fourth largest group of recipients of Finnish citizenship, 479.

Good 78,000 persons living in Finland have dual citizenship

At the end of 2013, there were 78,351 persons permanently resident in Finland who held the citizenship of some other country in addition to Finnish citizenship. Of these, 17,722 were native-born citizens of Finland who had been granted citizenship in another country. Altogether, 60,629 persons were foreign citizens who had also been granted Finnish citizenship. The largest dual nationality groups at the end of 2013 were citizens of Russia, 21,513, Sweden, 6,357 and the United States, 3,603.

Largest dual nationality groups permanently resident in Finland by their second nationality in 2013

Source: Population and Cause of Death Statistics. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Markus Rapo 09 1734 3238

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

Publication in pdf-format (278.7 kB)

Tables

Tables in databases

Pick the data you need into tables, view the data as graphs, or download the data for your use.

• Database tables and their variables
• Archived tables

Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Naturalized foreigners and foreigners by age structure 2013 (14.5.2014)
• Appendix table 2. Citizenships granted according to country of previous citizenship 2002 - 2013 (14.5.2014)

Figures

• Appendix figure 1. Naturalized foreigners by previous citizenship 2013 (14.5.2014)

Quality descriptions

• Quality description, naturalized foreigners 2013 (14.5.2014)

---

Updated 14.5.2014