SMÅLAND MED ÖARNA - Population
Less people but more jobs
Between 1997 and 2003 the population decreased by 11.3 thousand persons. The employed persons increased by more than 20 thousand. Figures for 2002 show that 3.4% of the population had foreign citizenship. The region has a low share of foreigners compared with regions like Stockholm, Southern Sweden or Western Sweden. In 1999, 2 661 immigrants and 1 940 emigrants were registered in the region.
In comparison with the country as a whole, a relatively large proportion of the population is in the dependent age groups and, as a consequence, the percentage of those in the active population is lower.
Migration across the borders of the region is limited. The most obvious feature is the migration of younger persons to larger urban areas and educational centres outside the region.
The number of commuters has increased in the last few years, with many people commuting from Öland to the mainland. The resident population on the island has increased since the bridge to the mainland was completed in the 1970s.
The most densely populated part is in the northwest while Gotland is more sparsely populated. The average population density is 24.1 inhabitants per km2 in 2001, which is comparable to that of the whole country (21.6 inhabitants per km2).
Most of the population (77%) is found in urban areas, while the countryside is sparsely populated. There are 34 municipalities in the region, of which 10 municipalities have 62% of the total population.
The infant mortality rate was 4.3 per thousand live births in 2001. The birth rate, with 9.9 live births per thousand inhabitants, is slightly below the national average (10.7 live births per thousand inhabitants). The opposite goes for the death rate, which is higher (11.4 deaths per thousand inhabitants) than the national level (10.6 deaths per thousand inhabitants).
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