Finland's Ovi

The annual total of Finns who marry foreigners has risen by 30 per cent in the space of a decade, regional daily Keskisuomalainen reported Friday. 

In 2005, there were 3,000 such marriages whereas in 1996 the corresponding figure was 700 lower.

More Finnish men married foreigners then Finnish women did. In 2005, more than 1,600 marriages were registered between Finnish men and foreign women. The foreign spouses of Finnish men were most likely to hail from Russia, Thailand or Estonia, whereas Finnish women preferred Britons, Americans and Turks.

Number of recipients of Finnish citizenship falls

Last year, 4,450 people permanently resident in Finland were granted Finnish citizenship, down from 5,700 in 2005, Statistics Finland (SF) said in a statement Friday.

A total of 2,550 citizens of European countries became Finnish citizens, 1,140 fewer than in 2005.

The top three groups of recipients according to nationality were Russians (1,400), Somalis (450) and Iraqis (400).

STT

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