Fewer Foreigners Becoming Finnish Citizens
Image: Eila Haikarainen / YLE
Fewer foreigners became Finnish citizens last year than in 2005.
In total 4,450 foreigners permanently living in Finland became Finnish citizens in 2006. The number is 1,250 fewer than in 2005.
Some 2,550 females and 1,900 males became Finnish citizens. About 1,300 were under 15 years old and 150 were over 65 years of age.
Meanwhile, about 2,550 European citizens took up Finnish citizenship. That's 1,140 fewer than in 2005. Some 500 people who became Finnish were EU citizens, while 1,000 people from Asian countries became Finnish.
Foreigners from Russia, Somalia and Iraq were the most frequent recipients of Finnish citizenship.
YLE