(ANSA) - BELGRADE - The population in the European Union has reached 512.6 million on January 1st 2018, an increase of 1.1 million compared with the 511.5 million persons living in the EU on January 1st 2017 (+2.1‰), Eurostat announced today, noting that the increase was due in particular due to net migration.

Data from the EU statistical office show that the population did not increase in all member states, with a significant decrease in nine countries, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe.

While the he largest relative increase was observed in Malta (+32.9 per 1,000 residents), Luxembourg (+19.0‰), Sweden (+12.4‰), Ireland (+11.2‰) and Cyprus (+11.0‰), the largest decrease was recorded in Lithuania (-13.8‰), followed by Croatia (-11.8‰), Latvia (-8.1‰), Bulgaria (-7.3‰) and Romania (-6.2‰), Eurostat said. (ANSA).