OSLO, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Just over 52,000 people immigrated to Norway last year, which is the lowest level since 2006, the country's statistics bureau revealed on Friday.
After the peak years of 2011 and 2012 when nearly 80,000 immigrants came to the country, the immigration has been declining every year, according to a report of the Statistics Norway (SSB).
Syrian citizens made the immigrant group that mostly contributed to immigration last year -- 3,800 Syrians moved to Norway in 2018, while 100 move out.
Similarly to immigrants from Eritrea and Congo, people from Syria in Norway are mainly refugees who have come to Norway in recent years and thus not many of them move out of the country.
Poles, being largest immigrant group in Norway, have almost the same number of people moving to and out of Norway, representing labor immigrants.
Just over 34,000 people emigrated from Norway in 2018, the report said.
Total population growth in Norway last year was almost 33,000, which is about half of what it was in 2011 and 2012.
About 55,000 children were born in Norway in 2018, 5,000 fewer than in 2011 and 2012.
The birth surplus in 2018 was 14,300, which is lowest since 1987, SSB reported. In 2018 nearly 41,000 people died in Norway.
