Total population change in the Arctic

The map shows the total population change by these two components at sub-regional level in the Arctic between 2013 and 2017. The two components of population change are natural change and net migration.

The blue and green tones on the map represent population increase. The dark blue colour indicates an increase due to both natural change (i.e. more births than deaths) and net migration (i.e. more people moving in than moving out). The green colour indicates an increase driven largely by natural change. The light blue indicates an increase driven largely by net migration. The red and yellow tones on the map represent population decrease. The dark red colour indicates population decrease due to both natural change (i.e. more deaths than births) and net migration (i.e. more people moving out than moving in). The light red colour indicates a population decrease driven primarily by natural change. The yellow colour indicates a population decrease driven largely by net migration.

There are large differences in the population change by components at sub-regional level in the Arctic. In Alaska (USA), natural population increase explained the total population growth in the growing subregions. In the subregions experiencing a population decline, out-migration was a strong driver. Most subregions in The Canadian Arctic witnessed population growth between 2013 and 2017 due to a positive natural change. The exceptions are observed in Region 1 to Region 5 in the Northwest Territories as well as in Labrador, where the population declined due to negative net migration. All subregions in Alaska (USA) and the Canadian Arctic had positive average natural change rate, except for Haines Borough in Alaska (USA). In Greenland, all subregions experienced natural population growth and out-migration flows during the five-year period, and out-migration balanced out natural growth in Qeqqata, Kujalleq, and Sermersooq. In the Nordic Arctic subregions, there was an unprecedented in-flows of migrants accompanied with depopulation of rural areas. Negative natural population change was primarily witnessed in subregions in Norrbotten (Sweden) and Lappi (Finland). Substantial out-migration flows have contributed to the predominant population decline pattern in subregions in the Russian Arctic. Additionally, there was a natural population decline in subregions of Murmansk, Magadan, Chukotka, and Kamchatka. On the other hand, population growth has occurred primarily in urban areas in Khanty-Mansi, Yamalo-Nenets and Sakha.

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